Juanita Nixon Kelly

JUANITA WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 3, 1922, IN TEXAS, TEXARKANA THE THIRD CHILD TO THE PROUD PARENTS CHARLES "KID" NIXON AND HATTIE WALTERS. AT THE AGE OF THREE THE FAMILY MOVED TO PAWHUSKA OKLAHOMA.

JUANITA HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING RAISED BY HER MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDFATHER ELDER HUDSON AND STADIE WARD ALONG SIDE HER BROTHER AND SEVERAL OF HER COUSINS. SHE WOULD LATER MOVE TO INDEPENDENCE KANSAS WITH OTIS AND CARRIE GRIDER.

WHEN JUANITA WAS 7 YEARS OLD, SHE JOINED THE EMMANUEL CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST. BECAUSE OF HER LOVE FOR GOD AND TEACHING OTHERS, SHE BECAME A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER AT 14 YEARS OLD. IN 1937 AT THE AGE OF 15 YEARS OLD JUANITA MOVED TO LOS ANGELES CA. SHE ATTENDED BOOKER T WASHINGTON SCHOOL WHERE SHE WAS THE CAPTAIN OF THE SOFTBALL TEAM. THERE SHE TOOK UP HOMEMAKING, SEWING AND MANUAL ARTS. SHE THEN GRADUATED FROM JEFFERSON HIGH IN 1940. SHORTLY AFTER JUANITA GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, SHE MOVED TO BAKERSFIELD CALIFORNIA. THERE SHE MET AND MARRIED A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN, LONNIE OWENS IN 1942. TO THIS UNION 3 CHILDREN WERE BORN, LONNIE JR, JUANITA LOUISE, AND CHARLES BERNARD. AFTER THE TWO PARTED WAYS, IN 1949 SHE MARRIED WILE J. KELLY SR. THEY WELCOMED 4 CHILDREN, SANDRA, DEAN, WILLIE, JOYCE AND SEVEN YEARS LATER HER BABY BOY CAME, GREGORY LAWRENCE.

IN 1952 JUANITA MOVED TO THE WESTSIDE OF SAN BERNARDINO CA, WHERE SHE RAISED HER BEAUTIFUL FAMILY OF (8), CHILDREN 4 GIRLS AND 4 BOYS. JUANITA ALWAYS HAD A LOVE AND DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS. SHE WAS EMPLOYED AT ST. BERNARDINES HOSPITAL AS A NURSE. SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FOSTER CARE. SHE ALSO WORKED AS A CLERK WITH THE VOTER'S REGISTRAR USING THE FAMILY HOME AS A POLLING SITE WITH REARRANGING FURNITURE TO ACCOMMODATE THE VOTING POLLS IN THE FAMILY HOME FOR 10 YEARS'. AFTER RETIREMENT SHE BECAME A VOLUNTEER FOR THE SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY SENIOR COMPANIONS FOR 27 YEARS, LEAVING THE PROGRAM AT THE AGE OF 90.

SHE THEN CONTINUED WITH HER WALK AND WORK WITH GOD AND THE CHURCH ON VARIOUS PROGRAM COMMITTEES, LOVING ON OTHERS' AS OTHER'S LOVED ON HER.

HER YEAR'S IN THE CHURCH SHE SERVED AS A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER, TRUSTEE BOARD MEMBER, CHOIR MEMBER, CHOIR PRESIDENT, CHOIR DIRECTOR, CHOIR TREASURER, MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES.

SHE WAS ALSO ONE OF THE FOUNDING ORGANIZERS IN BETHESDA M.B. CHURCH, FRED M. WILLIAMS, PASTOR. NEW JERUSALEM M.B. CHURCH, BURNING BUSH M. B.

CHURCH, SOLOMON STEWART, PASTOR. SHE WAS A MEMBER OF LIVING FAITH FULL GOSPEL CHURCH. PASTOR SHELBY ROBERTS, AND ALSO AN HONORARY MEMBER AT

"THE WAY WORLD OUTREACH" PASTOR MARCO GARCIA. SHE WAS THE RECIPIENT OF THE "FIRST ANNUAL JUNETEENTH RECOGNITION AWARD" THE INLAND EMPIRE/HIGH DESERT COMPONENT CHOIR OF THE LA. CHAPTER OF THE GOSPEL MUSIC WORKSHOP OF AMERICA INC, ON JUNE 19, 2022, DANSBY STARDIVANT II, GMWA ASST, CHAPTER REP. SHE HAS ALSO RECEIVED RECOGNITION AND HONOR FROM THE OFFICES OF JOE BACA SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS 5TH DISTRICT COUNCILWOMAN KIMBERLY JOHNSON-CALVIN. ASSEMBLY WOMAN WILMER CARTER. MAYOR PAT MORRIS. PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON. AND ALSO, THE SENIOR COMPANION VOLUNTEERS OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY.

SHE IS PROCEEDED IN DEATH BY 3 SONS LONNIE OWENS JR, CHARLES B. OWENS, WILLIE J. KELLY JR. 1 DAUGHTER MILFORD DEAN KELLY, BROTHER SAMUEL JOHN NIKON,

1 ADOPTIVE DAUGHTER POCAHONTAS G. MILES. SHE LEAVES TO MOURN 1 SON GREGORY L. KELLY SAN BERNARDINO CA. 3 DAUGHTERS JUANITA JURY (AL B) RIALTO CA SANDRA A. WILLCOT (ROBERT SAN BERNARDINO CA. JOYCE M KELLY STEPHENS (ROBERT HIGHLAND CA. HER GRANDCHILDREN SHE RAISED, DEMETRIUS, DELENA.

CHESTER (CAT), DENA, KHAATIM AND PARADISE. GOD BLESSED JUANITA TO LIVE AND WITNESS (6) GENERATIONS OF HER FAMILY WITH GRANDGHILDREN AND GREATGRANDCHILDREN EXPANDING OVER 100.

JUANITA HAS BEEN A MOTHER FIGURE, A CONFIDANT, A COUNSELOR, AUNT, AND COUSIN TO MANY, AS WELL AS A SISTER, A FRIEND, AND BEACON OF LIGHT. SHE ALSO LEAVES AN EXTENDED FAMILY OF THE HEART, DON & KAY BAKER, PASTOR VOVICE & SHA GOLDSMITH, WILLIE LOVE JR, MADELINE FARLOW. MAITE WILLIAMS G FAMILY.

WILSON/HUNTER FAMILY, MACON FAMILY, LOVE FAMILY, ADAMS FAMILY, BAILEY FAMILY, CHRISTOPHER MC SHAN, GMA CHOIR, PASTOR SHELBY & AN ROBERTS AND FAMILY MARIORIE MELTON, PASTOR RAYMOND TURNER, JORGE GOMEZ, MAGNOLIA SENIOR APTS AND COUNTLESS OTHERS.