Margaret Marie Jarrell

Margaret Marie Jarrell was born on February 4, 1926, in Cincinnati, OH, the second child born to the union of Homer W. Fox, Sr., and Goldie May Watkins.  On October 4, 2021, God commissioned his heavenly host of angels to escort her home. 

At the sudden death of their mother, it was apparent that it would soon take a village to raise six year old Margaret, and her older sister Elveta.  They were partially raised by their maternal grandmother, Mrs. Elizabeth Hight Watkins, and her daughter, Mrs. Lena Wilson, all of Walnut Hills, in Cincinnati.  Subsequently, they lived in Newport, KY., with their paternal grandmother, Mrs. Maggie Shropshire Fox, and her daughter, Miss Anna Fox, who would become their primary care giver.  Finally, Margaret would go on to live with her father, and her beloved step-mother, Mrs. Lillian Baker Fox, and two younger siblings, Norma Jean, and Homer Jr.

Margaret attended Peaslee School, in Over-The Rhine, Southgate Street School, in Newport, Ky., and William Grant High School, in Covington, KY.  It was there in the school yard, at the age of 16, that she met the love of her life, Charles E. Jarrell.  Called “The Lovebirds” by their classmates, they were soon united in holy matrimony on May 21, 1945, and from this union they were blessed with four children.  Together, they were the proud owners of two homes, in Covington, KY., and in Forest Park, OH, where they would reside for the remainder of their lives.

Margaret was a long-standing member of St. James A.M.E. Church, in Covington, KY, but in later years became a beloved member of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, in Glendale, OH, where she especially enjoyed the Christian Bible Training classes.  After 25 years, she retired from St. Elizabeth Medical Center, in Edgewood, KY., as a Laboratory Assistant, having received on-the-job training in phlebotomy, and other clinical disciplines.    

Margaret was very socially active, and always ready to GO!  She enjoyed music, going to dances, and once dreamed of becoming a professional dancer.  An avid clubwoman, she belonged to local social clubs such as The Teenage Girls, The Jolly Misses, The Joliettes, The Select 40’s, and the Equity Omega.  Margaret also enjoyed binge reading Harlequin Romance Novels, and confessed to having written a full novel in the 1950’s that she later destroyed.  Margaret especially enjoyed traveling, having toured the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean.  

The epitome of class, dignity and grace during her ten year struggle with Dementia-Alzheimer’s, Margaret passed away peacefully in her sleep.  In 2014, Margaret became a resident of Sanctuary Pointe Nursing & Rehabilitation Center (Forest Park).  While there, Margaret delighted her visitors with tales of the great 1937 Ohio Valley Flood, Cincinnati’s Cotton Club, and growing up Black, and female in Newport, KY.  Many of her stories involved visitations from, conversations with, and memories of her beloved sister Elveta, and cousin Esther Goode.  Even as her physical stamina waned, her sense of humor sharpened frequently leaving her visitors in stitches.  Demonstrating the strength and courage that allowed her to survive the 1937 flood, Margaret survived the Covid19 Pandemic of 2020, defeating loneliness despite the forced absence of family and friends.   With a mother’s integrity, Margaret refused to leave this realm until she knew her children would be okay. 

Margaret was preceded in death by her:  husband, Charles E. Jarrell, daughter, Sherry Jean Thompson, great-grandson, Dorian D. Thompson, sisters, Elveta Fox, of Brooklyn, N.Y., Mrs. Norma J. Bryant, brother, Homer W. Fox, Jr., both of Cincinnati, OH., and a host of other relatives, and lifelong friends.

She leaves to cherish her precious loving memory: her devoted daughter, Mrs. Constance Simpson, of Cincinnati OH, sons Dennis E. Jarrell (Yong), of Panama City, Fl., and Corey K. Jarrell (Marvin Williams) of Cincinnati, OH, four grandchildren, Nicole Thompson, of Covington, KY., James Simpson IV, of Cincinnati, OH., Chalanda Woods (Michael) of Douglass, GA., and Fueneequa Jarrell, of Atlanta, GA., six great-grandchildren, six great-great grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Margaret Marie Jarrell, please visit our floral store.