Mr. Walter C. Jeffers, World Methodist Council member and Lay President of the Philadelphia Conference Lay Organization for the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church), died unexpectedly last month. Born to Howard Jeffers, Jr. and Marie Ramsey in 1984 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was educated in the Philadelphia Public School System. Walter obtained an Associate’s degree in Business from the Delaware County Community College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Peirce College. He was studying towards becoming a Licensed Funeral Director at the time of his death.
Walter began his professional career in the operations of the Job Corps program occupying various positions and serving as Chairperson for the Staff Impact Innovations Program. He also had his own professional service agency, Designs by Walter, and was a Funeral Assistant with the Congleton Funeral Home. He was also employed on the headquarters staff of the First Episcopal District of the AME Church based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In the AME Church, Walter embodied the principles of servant leadership through his work in various positions at all levels of the Church. At New Bethel, Germantown, Pennsylvania he served on the Steward Board. In the Connectional Lay Organization (CLO) he served as Philadelphia Conference Legislation Chairperson, First Episcopal District Membership Chair and was award the Ted E. Harris Connectional Outstanding Young Adult Layperson Award consecutively in 2011 and 2013. At the 2013 CLO Biennial, Walter was elected to a four-year term as the Director of Public Relations administering the organization’s website, electronic communications and editing the “We Speak” magazine. In 2016, he was appointed to represent the AME Church on the World Methodist Council and attended the 21st World Methodist Conference in Houston, Texas. At the time of his death, he was serving as the Lay President of the Philadelphia Conference Lay Organization.
A fixture in the Philadelphia community, Walter served on various community boards and organizations locally and statewide. He was appointed by the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia to serve on the SEPTA Community Advisory Council and also served as a Community Advisory Board Member for the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
Walter is survived by his parents, siblings and a host of relatives, surrogate family members, and friends throughout the Connectional AME Church and the “City of Brotherly Love”.
Condolences may be sent to Congleton Funeral Home by fax 215-849-4782 or mailed to 67 W Logan St, Philadelphia, PA 19144 USA.
