Richmond Free Press
B4 February 27-29, 2020
Obituaries/Faith Directory
Dr. Levy M. Armwood Jr., retired pastor, music teacher, dies at 79 Free Press staff report
Dr. Levy Mack Armwood Jr., retired pastor of historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jackson Ward and a 32-year music teacher for Richmond Public Schools, has died. Well known for his love of education and music and for his devotion to Ebenezer, Dr. Armwood succumbed to illness on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020. He was 79. Family and friends celebrated his life Saturday, Feb. 22, at Ebenezer, a church where he had served as a minister of music and pastor for 40 years. The grandson of sharecroppers, Dr. Armwood was born and grew up in Washington, D.C., where he earned his undergraduate degree in music in 1967 and his master’s in music education in 1973 from Howard University and also sang in the school’s choirs. Dr. Armwood came to Richmond in 1968 to join the Richmond Public Schools faculty as a music teacher. Over the course of three decades, he taught at eight schools, most notably Thomas Jefferson High School and the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. Along with teaching music, he was involved in directing students in musical productions and in choirs, often taking students to competitions. After earning his master’s, he also served for seven years as an adjunct professor at Virginia Union University, where, among other things, he taught classes in voice and in music methods for elementary schoolteachers. Dr. Armwood responded to the call to be a minister when was 42. He was licensed in 1982 at Ebenezer Baptist Church. He then
Dr. Armwood
earned a master’s in divinity at VUU’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology in 1988 and was ordained that same year. In 1992 at age 52, he accepted the call to lead his first church, Providence Baptist Church in Ashland. During his tenure there, he earned his doctorate from VUU’s School of Theology in 1996. Ten years later after taking the pulpit in Ashland, he became Ebenezer’s ninth pastor. He had established a deep connection with the church and the congregation as its minister of music for two decades, a post he held until he became pastor of Providence Baptist. Soon after moving to Richmond in the late 1960s, Dr. Armwood became director of Ebenezer’s Sanctuary Choir. Under his direction,
the choir recorded its first album of anthems, spirituals and gospel songs during the 1980s. He also joined with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in three performances of Handel’s “Messiah.” Dr. Armwood was formally installed as Ebenezer’s pastor in 2003 and served until 2017. He stepped down as the church marked its 160th year. The church has operated since then with an interim pastor. His family said that while ministry was his calling, his real passion was for music. He took piano lessons as a child, and he found his voice in summer visits with his grandparents in South Carolina. He enjoyed the preaching and singing at their church and would return home to the nation’s capital to preach and sing to his dog, his family said. He also became active in Israel Baptist Church in Washington, where he sang in the choir and ushered. He gained exposure to other communities in taking trips to conferences for ushers. Dr. Armwood also joined friends in creating the Royal Echoes gospel group that sang in churches across Washington, his family said. As a minister, he served on the regional board of the American Baptist Churches of the South and was a past president of the ABCOT Ministers Council. He also was a member of the Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Richmond and Vicinity. Dr. Armwood was a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, the Music Education Conference of America, the NAACP and Alpha Phi Omega Fraternity. He also served on the board of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Friends of African and African-American Art. Survivors include his wife of 34 years, Cookie A. Armwood.
Restaurateur, model B. Smith dies at 70 from early onset Alzheimer’s Free Press wire report
NEW YORK Barbara “B.” Smith, one of the nation’s top African-American models who went on to open restaurants, launch a successful home products line and write cookbooks, has died at her Long Island home at age 70 after battling early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Ms. Smith’s family announced on social media that she died Saturday evening, Feb. 22, 2020. “Heaven is shining even brighter now that it is graced with B.’s dazzling and unforgettable smile,” her husband, Dan Gasby, posted on Facebook. Ms. Smith’s eponymous Manhattan restaurant opened in 1986 and attracted a following among affluent black New Yorkers, The New York Times recalled. Essence magazine described it as the place “where the who’s who of black Manhattan meet, greet and eat regularly.” Ms. Smith wrote three cookbooks, founded three successful restaurants and launched a
nationally syndicated televiStewart,” a comparison she said sion show and a magazine. she didn’t mind though she beHer successful home products lieved the two lifestyle mavens line was one of the first by an were quite different. African-American woman to “Martha Stewart has presented be sold at a nationwide retailer herself doing the things domestics when it debuted in 2001 at Bed and African-Americans have Bath & Beyond. done for years,” Ms. Smith said In 1976, she became the in a 1997 interview with New second black model to be on the York magazine. “We were always cover of Mademoiselle magazine, expected to redo the chairs and after Joli Jones in 1969. use everything in the garden. “You epitomized class, true This is the legacy that I was left. beauty and dignity. Rest well Martha just got there first.” Queen,” actress Viola Davis In the same interview, Mr. Ms. Smith wrote on Twitter. Gasby said, “Martha is perfecMs. Smith was diagnosed with early onset tion and Barbara is passion.” Alzheimer’s disease in 2013. Following her Ms. Smith began suffering from memory diagnosis, she and Mr. Gasby raised awareness problems years before her diagnosis. She once of the disease, and particularly its impacts on froze for several seconds while being interviewed the African-American community. on the “Today Show,” prompting a doctor’s visit Some described Ms. Smith as a “black Martha that led to her diagnosis. A few months later,
Barky’s
Actress and film festival co-founder Ja’Net DuBois succumbs at 74 Free Press wire report
LOS ANGELES Ja’Net DuBois, who played the vivacious neighbor Willona Woods on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times,” composed and sang the theme song for television’s “The Jeffersons” and was one of the founders of the largest black film festival in the United States, has died. Ms. DuBois’ song “Movin’ on Up” provided the upbeat intro to “The Jeffersons” during the show’s 11-season run from 1975 to 1985. According to Ms. DuBois’ youngest daughter, Kesha Fields, the actress died in her sleep on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at her home in Glendale, Calif. She was 74. BernNadette Stanis, who played Thelma Evans Anderson on “Good Times” and remained close to Ms. DuBois, said she learned of her death on Feb. 18, from the actress’ daughter. “She used to keep us laughing all the time,” Ms. Stanis said, warmly recalling her friend. “She was very, very talented. If she wasn’t singing ... she was creating a character to make us laugh.” Ms. Stanis said Ms. DuBois appeared to be in good health when they appeared Feb. 1 at a fan meet-and-greet in Los Angeles with other “Good Times” co-stars Jimmie “J.J.” Walker, Johnny Brown and Ralph Carter. Ms. DuBois had a prolific career beyond the 1970s hit “Good Times,” winning two Emmy Awards for her voice work on the WB series “The PJs.” Ms. DuBois’ character on “Good Times,” Willona, was the single, sexy neighbor and best friend to star Esther Rolle’s Florida Evans. Though the comedy had plenty of one-liners, Ms. DuBois’ appearances gave an extra dose of comedic relief. Ms. DuBois showed off more of her dramatic skills when a young Janet Jackson joined the show as the abused child Penny. Ms. DuBois’ character would go on to adopt Penny, and the storyline also forged a long, close relationship between Ms. DuBois and Ms. Jackson, who would go on to become a multiplatinum superstar. Ms.
Ms. DuBois
Jackson later cast Ms. DuBois as her mother in her 1986 “Control” video. Ms. Jackson paid tribute to Ms. DuBois in an Instagram post last week. “I am so very saddened to hear my longtime friend Ja’Net DuBois has passed away. I saw first hand how she broke stereotypes and changed the landscape for Black women in entertainment,” Ms. Jackson wrote. “I’m grateful in recent years I had a chance to see her and create more lasting memories. I pray for comfort for all her family and friends.” Ms. DuBois also was lauded by actor Danny Glover and Ayuko Babu, who were cofounders with Ms. DuBois of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival 28 years ago in Los Angeles. Each year, the festival screens more than 150 films made by and/or about people of African descent from around the world and has been designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an official qualifying film festival for live action and animation shorts for possible Academy Awards. “Our sister, Ja’Net DuBois, epitomized a true, conscious Pan African artist who mastered the ability to be idealistic and practical at the same time,” their statement read. “In our contemporary times, she was able to use modern technology to spread her voice, her image, her spirit, her songs and our stories around the globe and touch us with humor, dignity and her ancient wisdom. … With her death occurring in the
midst of the Pan African Film and Arts Festival, she left us an important message — support cultural institutions like her beloved Pan African Film and Arts Festival, and it will point you toward liberation and freedom. If not — like the bluesman, Taj Maahal sings — you’ll stumble and fall.” Ms. DuBois’ career started in theater, where she appeared in Broadway productions of “Golden Boy” and “A Raisin in the Sun,” according to a biography on her website. Her performance in “The Hot l Baltimore” in Los Angeles caught the eye of Norman Lear, who developed “Good Times” and “The Jeffersons.”
she was missing in New York for a day. In 2018, Mr. Gasby revealed that he was in a relationship with another woman while caring for his ailing wife, leading to harsh criticism from some of her fans. He fired back at critics with a Facebook post about the pain of living with Alzheimer’s in the family. “I love my wife but I can’t let her take away my life,” he wrote. The couple co-authored a book, “Before I Forget: Love, Hope, Help and Acceptance in Our Fight Against Alzheimer’s,” and had partnered with the Brain Health Registry. Ms. Smith, a native of Pennsylvania, began her career as a fashion model in Pittsburgh and went on to serve as a spokeswoman for Verizon, Colgate, Palmolive Oxy and McCormick’s Lawry seasonings. She hosted the nationally syndicated television show “B. Smith with Style” for nearly a decade, which aired on NBC stations. Ms. Smith is survived by Mr. Gasby, whom she married in 1992, and her stepdaughter, Dana Gasby. Usher Badges • Clergy Shirts • Collars • Communion Supplies • Much More!
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Ms. DuBois’ Willona was a “true diva back then — fancy dressing, the wigs, doing the thing. ... the real woman woman,” Ms. Stanis said. “She brought it, didn’t she?” Her film credits included 1970s “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” and “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.” She was credited in numerous other films as varied as “Basic Instinct,” “Next Friday” and “Tropic Thunder,” which included the song “Movin’ on Up.” In addition to Ms. Fields, Ms. DuBois is survived by a son, Provat Gupta, and another daughter, Rani Gupta.
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