Jean Elizabeth Covington

Jean Elizabeth Covington, 86, passed away peacefully on February 22, 2026, with her family by her side, leaving a legacy of love as she entered eternal life.

Born on March 28, 1939, in Augusta, GA, Jean was the beloved daughter of the late Wilbur Wilson and Beatrice Smallwood Wilson. Faith in God was central to her upbringing and she joined Bethel A.M.E. Church in her youth. Jean served faithfully on the Junior Usher Board and the Allen Christian Endeavor League (now known as the YPD). Long before Bethel AME Church had an official Usher Board, Jean and her two siblings proudly served as the churches only ushers, earning the affectionate nickname, “The Three Blind Mice.”

Jean matriculated through the Augusta, GA and Johnston, SC public school systems until the family relocated to Washington, DC in 1954, where she attended Theodore Roosevelt High School and graduated in 1958.

At age 16, Jean joined Turner Memorial AME Church, under the pastorship of Rev. S. Everett Guiles. She served as a Class Leader, on the Stewardess Board and was a member of the Turner Busy Bee Club. In 1979, she became a member of The Order of the Eastern Star, Martha Chapter #11.

During her senior year of high school, while working part-time at Hot Shoppes, Jean met her co-worker James Louis Covington, who would later become her husband. From their union, they were blessed with two children, Pamela and Curtis. Jean devoted several years as a stay-at-home mother, nurturing her children and creating a loving environment in which they could grow, thrive, and flourish. A meticulous homemaker, she took great pride in caring for her family.

In June 1966, Jean began federal employment with the US Postal Service as a Postal Clerk. She dedicated 28 years to her work before retiring in 1994.

Jean was a nurturer at heart. She lovingly cared for her granddaughters, Jaida and Kayla, while their parents worked —picking them up from school each day and faithfully keeping up with the family laundry. Even at 80 years old, she continued pouring into the next generation, caring for her four great grandchildren, Kennedi, Kaleb, Kaelyn, and Maddison, until they began school (with Maddison starting Hope Academy at 30 months). Jean taught her grandchildren the much of their early education and was a trusted caregiver for numerous family members, friends and their children.

Jean was an excellent cook and baker, well known for her homemade pound cakes, sweet potato pies, coconut custard pies, and peach cobblers. She also enjoyed working crossword puzzles and knitting, often making dish clothes and pot holders to share with family, friends, and neighbors as a heartfelt act of love. Jean was kind and joyful, humorous and generous, and she always spoke her mind. Above all, Jean was selfless, consistently and thoughtfully placing the well-being of other before her own.

Jean is predeceased by her husband, James Covington, son, Curtis Covington, and two brothers, Herbert Smallwood and Hiram Muhammad. She leaves to cherish her memory daughter, Pamela (William), two granddaughters, Jaida and Kayla, four great grandchildren, Kennedi, Kaleb, Kaelyn, and Maddison, one sister, Hilda Murray, one sister in love, Lyvon Covington, nieces, nephews, and a host of other relatives and friends.