Marsha Renae
Lazarus-Powell
Assigned to Earth - July 8, 1976
Recalled to heaven - July 11, 2022
Marsha Renae Lazarus-Powell
Marsha Renae Lazarus-Powell
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ABOUT MARSHA
Birth and Childhood
Marsha Renae Lazarus-Powell was assigned to earth on July 8, 1976 in Kingston, Jamaica at the Molynes Maternity Center. Her parents Clive and Dorothy Lazarus reflect that Marsha was a beautiful child; petite, always smiling and congenial and forever the extrovert. She grew up in Highgate St. Mary, where she spent her formative years with her mom and dad and was described as an obedient child who clinged and cried after her father very often. While at St. Mary she went to Harmony Hall Basic School where she excelled as a student and her love for singing was easily identified by then teacher, Aunty Dawn
At the age of nine, the family relocated to Rollington Town, Kingston and she attended the Rollington Primary School. In September 1988, Marsha passed her common entrance exam to attend the Convent of Mercy Alpha Academy. Her friends from Alpha Academy remember Marsha as Miss Congenial, always pleasant, prim and proper. She was always so respectable and stood for her christian principles. She insisted on calling the full name of her school whenever she referred to it. While at Alpha, Marsha was quite the lady. She was like a ‘mother’ to all. Always taking care of everyone and asking “are you okay?” and she was genuinely interested in how you were doing and would stop to hear your answer. She was always smiling and you could never know when she had a bad day. Always speaking the Queen’s English yet her laughter was loud and infectious. She was somewhat quiet by nature and loved to sing. Marsha was a young lady to be admired at school. She walked, talked and even smiled stately, just like royalty.
She became involved in the outreach ministries that the school offered and committed to the group which visited Jacob Wells at 74 Hanover Street – a place of refuge for destitute adults. While at Alpha,she became an avid attendee at the students’ prayer meeting held at Pentecostal Tabernacle. The prayer meeting....(Read More)
K'Hareece's Tribute - To Mom
Marsha Reana Lazarus was a sweet, caring, honest, loving and respectful woman. She was an excellent mother and did not deserve to die. She always cared about other people, she respected and she was respected by many people.
My mother was very popular not because she had money or she was gorgeous but it was because she wanted to meet new people and she was kind and respectful. I will always remember every single day we went to church she would always greet people- She would go up to people and would spend minutes after minutes talking to each person she saw. She was beautiful and had an amazing smile, she was such a positive person.
My mother would always make me know that she loves me, either by saying these sentences: “ I love you to the moon and back” or “ You are my sunshine” or “ You know i love you and I can't live without you?’’ She was the BEST mother to my sister and me and certainly the best wife to my father. But the one thing I regret is that I didn't always tell or show her how much I really loved her; so I want to use this tribute to say MOM, I really love and appreciate you for all that you did for us and I declare today that I love you now and forever.
K’Hareece!
Tavia's Tribute - To Mom
For all the times you sat me down and combed my hair,
I loved you
For all the times you bought me a book and ignited the zeal for reading,
I loved you,
For all the times you taught me to wash and clean my room,
I loved you,
For all the times you taught me to be a lady - always pleasant and always kind,
I loved you
For all those times you punished me for my own benefit,
All those times we bucked our heads together,
All the fights, tears and disagreements we had,
And the times I wanted to never see you,
Eventhough I didn't say it, my face nor my heart concealed not the fact that I loved you
For all those times you showed me you cared,
And plastered support so dear,
And squeezed me in a hug that held no fear,
And embraced me with flaws so clear,
I loved you
And even though you're no longer here,
In my heart you're always there,
And you confirmed it in a dream one day,
When you smiled that smile of yours,
And told me,
Have no fear, you're always there
I'll always be your baby girl, and you'll always be my number 1
I loved you - have always loved you
Will always LOVE you, mom.
Kevin's Tribute - To My Wife
Sometimes It Takes a Mountain
(When the Songs we Sing Become a Reality)
For Marsha
I recall last year, 2021, when petitioning God about the purpose for Marsha’s illness, that a voice or thought or whatever it was, said to me, 'Write!' 'A book?' I retorted and somehow I settled on that as the answer. “What should I title this book?”, I asked the voice/thought - and the response came forcefully, 'Sometimes it takes a mountain'. When the songs we sing become a reality.
'
Sometimes it takes a Mountain' was a song Marsha and I were asked to sing some years ago at a Couples Sunday service at PenTab. In her usual ecstatic state whenever she was asked to minister, Marsha found the lyrics of the song and soon our house was turned into a recording studio and rehearsal room. Her favorite AXN movie or Fast and Furious episodes were replaced with YouTube videos of various versions of this song that she felt suited her vocal quality and soon this song became well-known to the remaining members of the house as of course it was stuck on repeat by our dear Marsha.
We ministered the song together that Sunday morning and it was a blessing. The congregation stood in worship as the lyrics pierced their hearts that day and of course this song became one of our signature songs that we were asked quite frequently to minister in church. As I reflect though, during those times when we learned this song and throughout the many times that we would sing this song, I can’t recall us going through any mountains. Valleys perhaps, hills on some days but i couldn’t remember us climbing any mountains throughout our marriage. And even if we did it somehow didn’t seem mountainous. She was always a trooper. Positivity oozed from her every being- she knew how to turn every mountain into a molehill.
Denver's Tribute - To My Sister
I’m grateful for the opportunity to speak about Marsha. All my life, Marsha has been there and it still feels surreal to have her name and ‘death’ in the same sentence. It has always been Marsha and Denver; Denver and Marsha; Denver’s sister or Marsha’s sister depending on who was speaking and many times both of us were called the same name, invariably, ‘Marsha’; Denver was too hard to remember. She was two years older than me, but we were always one grade behind the other and attended the same schools up until high school, wore almost the same kind of glasses, dressed alike when we were younger so, people were always mixing us up or asking if we were twins. I guess I will no longer be called Marsha now - regrettably.
As we grew into our teenage years, we basically went our separate ways attending separate schools, having separate friends and definitely separate personalities. I tried very hard to give her her space so no one would have any reason to compare us, though some people still tried to do the same. She was the extrovert, I was content to be the introvert and allow her to represent me at social gatherings, at family gatherings and even at church. Once she was there, I would not have to talk nor interact with others. She would engage them. Such a relief. Now I am going to have to face the music - I mean - face all the people as my shield and representative has gone on.
Fast forward to adulthood and that’s when we really became friends. I was nervous to have children and felt I would be such a klutz around them but God would so have it that though she got married years after me, she had her second child before I had my first. I, therefore, got the opportunity to observe and participate somewhat in the process of taking care of a baby. When I eventually had my first child - she was there to allay the fears of a first time mom and help me to walk the process a little more confidently.
Then, we both received keys to our own homes, on the same road in the same housing scheme, just two months apart. She was down the road from me; I was up the road from her. I had a key to her house; she had a key to mine. Our children grew together and so..Read More
Kris's Tribute - To My Sister
Marsha Renae Lazarus-Powell was assigned to earth on July 8, 1976 in Kingston, Jamaica at the Molynes Maternity Centre. Her parents, Crispin (aka Clive) and Dorothy Lazarus, with whom she spent her formative years in Highgate, St. Mary, reflect that Marsha was a beautiful child; petite, always smiling, congenial and forever the extrovert. She was described as an obedient child who clung to and cried after her father very often. While in St. Mary, she went to Harmony Hall Basic School where she excelled as a student and her love for singing was easily identified by then teacher, Aunty Dawn
At the age of nine, the family relocated to Rollington Town, Kingston and she attended the Rollington Primary School. At Rollington Town Primary, Marsha’s fun-loving nature came to light as she was known as a keen ‘dandy-shandy’ and ‘jacks’ player. Chinese skip, too, could not be left out. Along with that, she and her then best friend, Sancia Campbell, would find endless ways to burst out laughing including giving the boys nicknames as tame as ‘Caa Cawk’ because they could not be bothered to say ‘Carl Clarke’ and....Read More
