Mrs. Constance Ward Smallwood Lee

Constance Ward Smallwood Lee was born January 17, 1935 in Washington, DC to the late Lena Josephine Massey Ward and Holsey DeCosta Ward, Sr. She was the oldest of two sisters: Lena Ward Morris Washington (deceased) and Diane Ward Beal White (deceased), and one brother: Hosley D. Ward, Jr. As a child, Constance was a very loving person, and she made sure that her siblings were cared for. She enjoyed sitting in the front room talking with them and sharing stories of their young lives. She also had a lot of fun dressing up in her mother’s clothes and shoes. As a young child, she dreamed of one day dressing up her own daughters in pretty dresses and her sons in suits and bowties. Constance attended Garnet Patterson Junior High School in Washington, DC and received a degree in nursing from Martha Washington School. Upon graduation, she worked at the Arlington Hospital in Virginia until the time of her retirement. On June 19, 1954 Constance married Donald Webster Earl Smallwood. To this union were born five children: three girls and two boys. One son, Michael DeCosta Smallwood, preceded Constance in death. Donald later married Willie Smallwood, and they had three children: one boy and two girls. The Smallwood Family shared a close bond and became a blended family of love. Then Constance married Theodore Lee whom she cared for until he passed. Constance was an activist in the Washington, DC community, known as The Arthur Capper Housing Development, and she was instrumental in its planning process and growth. She served as president of the Arthur Capper Resident Council and served on the Mayor’s Task Force. She was also the cochair of The South Washington Family Strengthening Collaborative and sat on the Board of the first Community Development Coalition for townhomes on Capitol Hill. Constance loved her block parties where the entire street was “shut down” to enjoy the fun and fellowship of neighbors in her treasured community. She accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior and was a member of the Lutheran Church of the Reformation under the leadership of Pastor Paul Wee. She served on The Child Care Committee of the church and enjoyed working with the Decorating Committee to beautify the church during the Christmas season. In her later years, Constance joined the Cornerstone Church in Alexandria, Virginia, where she attended services with her grandchildren and daughter, Deborah Carr. Constance was an awesome mother who reared her children with love and discipline. She made sure there was no TV in the front room, and when the street lights came on, all her children had to be in the house. Well before the electronic age, she purchased encyclopedias so that her children would have educational resources that would help them in school. Her childhood dreams came true as she cared for her own children and dressed them up in style, shopping wherever she could get the best bargains. Constance shared a special bond with her nieces, Lolita Morris, Paula Hackley, and Lavenia Jordan and nephew Johnny Smallwood. They all called her “Big Connie.” Constance’s life and legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of her family. She leaves to cherish her memory her children Juanita E. Smallwood Jones (James), Donna Patricia Lee Smallwood (Wayne Marshall), Debra Lillian Carr (Nathaniel), Donald Webster Earl Smallwood, Jr., Gregory Webster Smallwood, Greta Smallwood, and Sheila Smallwood; grandchildren Joel Q. Ricks Smallwood, Nakita Young Smallwood, Calvin Carr, Steven Porter, Jr., Denae Carr, Phillip A. Jones (Wendy) and three great-grandchildren: Quintershae Antonio Ackers (De’Shay Anyia), Lashae Ikea Ackers and Leah Washington.

Mrs. Constance Ward Smallwood Lee

January 17, 1935 - December 26, 2016

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