Obituary of Charlene Aikins-Afful

Charlene Aikins-Afful

 Charlene Hoyt was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to her mother, Helen Broadnax Hoyt, and her father, Charles Hoyt, on November 26, 1933. She resided mostly in the Boston area, visiting almost all fifty US States as a member of the United States Air Force. One of her many passions as a young woman was fashion, and she wanted to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. However, she chose more practical pursuits and attended secretarial school in Boston where she met her future husband, Ebenezer Aikins-Afful. They married in 1966 and moved with Charlene’s daughter, Helen Isom, to the Bronx, New York City, for Ebenezer’s work. While in NYC, Charlene used her secretarial skills to find work and had various positions such as Administrative Assistant to Vernon Jordan of the Urban League.

Charlene gave birth to her second daughter, Olivia, in 1969. The family then moved to Yorktown Heights, New York, for her husband’s work which later brought them to Herndon, Virginia. Her son by marriage to Ebenezer, Starr Williams-Afful, lovingly cared for Charlene’s mother Helen and aunt Pauline, while remaining in an apartment above theirs in NYC. Charlene studied the Bible and was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1976. Over the next thirty years, Sister Aikins-Afful traveled to the African and European continents with her husband.

She welcomed and cared for her new granddaughter, Lisa Michelle, born in 1983, held many Bible studies in her home, and knocked on doors to share the Good News of God’s Kingdom, building strong relationships with the congregations of which she was a member. She loved listening to classical music, singing, playing tennis, sewing, gardening, playing hours of classical piano weekly and enjoying some of her favorite foods: seafood, pork chops and coffee ice cream.

Charlene worked hard for two years drafting and designing her dream home to be built in Ghana, West Africa, Ebenezer’s native home. After his retirement in 1995 they moved to Ghana in 1997 where she was warmly welcomed by her Aikins-Afful family and the Jehovah’s Witnesses there. Charlene also began the care of her formerly fostered twin nephews (Age 12) and their older brother, introducing them to the Jehovah’s Witness organization and providing love, support and structure in their lives. She was proudly involved in both the completion of the home she designed, as well as the realization of a new Kingdom Hall in her area of Abelempkpe, Ghana. Learning more of Ghana and its people through her door-to-door preaching, she also learned to speak Twi and Fante, which she continued to use with Ghanaians she met throughout her life. Charlene returned to the US and enjoyed almost another decade with Ebenezer back in their Virginia home.

After Ebenezer’s death in 2012, she continued her commitment to preaching, even after she moved to a retirement community. When she could no longer walk door to door, she maintained her involvement by phone witnessing and talking to all she met informally. A great-grandson, Riley, was born in 2018 and provided Charlene with abundant joy. Sadly, her daughter, Olivia, passed away in 2019. Charlene received a tremendous amount of support from her spiritual brothers and sisters, deepened her relationship with Jehovah, survived the Covid pandemic and spent time watching Lifetime/ TLC movies. She was a strong, and well-spoken woman far before it was fashionable to be so. She is survived by her daughter Helen Elizabeth Isom of Dolgeville, New York; granddaughter Lisa Michelle Aikins-Afful (Richard Waugh), and great-grandson Riley Aikins-Waugh, all of Richmond, VA;  a large number of the Aikins-Afful family both in Ghana and the US; and a great many spiritual brothers, sisters, and children. Throughout her time in assisted living, skilled nursing and Hospice Care, Charlene was blessed with receiving care from Margaret Gyamfi, a nurse’s aide from Ghana. Margaret’s beautiful accent and demeanor reminded her of brighter days and she brought Charlene many delicious Ghanaian foods to eat during the seven years she worked with her. Charlene was very much loved and will be greatly missed, but most importantly, remembered by her Creator. Her faith in Jehovah gave her the promise of everlasting life on Earth through the Resurrection.

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