Carmelita Hoston

Carmelita "Carmel" was born on March 14, 1930 to John and Bessie Mackey in Gary, Indiana. Carmelita attended Roosevelt High School and just prior to her graduation in 1948, she married James H. Powell Sr. From that union three children were born, James H. Powell Jr., Michael Charles Powell and Jacqueline Juanita Powell. Carmelita worked at the Federal Reserve Bank for most of her adult life. During that time she lived in Gary, IN, where she met her second husband, Robert "Bob" Hoston. After the death of her husband Bob, Carmelita retired from the Federal Reserve Bank and moved to St. Louis, Missouri to live with her daughter and her grandchildren. She remained in St. Louis for a period of time where she helped to raise her grandchildren and later her great grandchildren. In 1991, she moved to Chicago, Illinois where she then stayed with her son, James, her daughter-in-law, Linda and their daughter, Carmen. Early in life, after a study of the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses, Carmel dedicated her life to Jehovah. She enjoyed fellowshipping with her friends from the Kingdom Hall and going out in the door to door ministry sharing the good news of God's kingdom to all. Carmelita was a joyous woman who loved life. You could always count on her to inject humor into any situation, tell you the truth, show you unconditional love and help you out in your time of need. As an accomplished pianist, one of her favorite pastimes was listening to music...Johnny Mathis and Nat King Cole were among her favorites. Through it all, Carmel maintained her love of life and family. She was known and loved by many. To have met her was to love her. She was fondly known by family and friends as Granny, the little old lady. She was a proud mother, grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother. On November 12, 2015 at the age of 85, Carmelita fell asleep in death after a lengthy illness. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Bob; three brothers, Julius, Maceo and Reginald; four sisters, Lillian, Lalita, Johnnetta and Carlotta; one son, Michael Charles; one granddaughter, Leah; and two great grandsons, Mykale and Jonathan. Carmelita leaves to cherish her loving memories, one son, James (Linda); one daughter, Jacqueline (Kirk); 15 grandchildren, 40 great grandchildren with 2 on the way and 6 great-great grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Carmelita Hoston

March 14, 1930 - November 12, 2015