Harold Jessie Sheffield, Sr. was born on April 26, 1936, in Hot Springs, AR to William Membry Sheffield and Mary W. (Roundtree) Sheffield. He was the youngest of 11 children. Harold attended public schools in Hot Springs, graduated from Langston High School, and then served in the Air Force for 4 years.
On August 23, 1959, he married his love, Frankie Jo Juniel, also a Hot Springs native. They lived in Pine Bluff, AR, where their first child, Harold Jr., was born. Harold attended Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial University (now Tennessee State University) in Nashville. In 1962, he matriculated from Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal College (now known as the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff) and taught social studies at Merrill High School. The couple migrated to Topeka, KS, the day of the historically destructive tornado, June 8, 1966. A year later, he became a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. The couple then had their second and third children, De Anna and DeLano.
Harold earned his Master’s Degree in Education Administration from the University of Kansas in 1974. He first taught history and U.S. Government and later became an administrator and served as a principal in the Topeka USD 501 School District. Serving more than 40 years as an educator, Harold had a profound impact on the lives of numerous children and families at Jardine and Highland Park Junior High Schools, Topeka West and Topeka High Schools, and as assistant director of Kaw Area Technical School (now Washburn Tech.) Harold was an advocate for challenging young minds toward excellence in learning with guidance.
In the 1980s, Harold and Frankie noticed that students were failing at various levels and launched a project that provided counseling, support, and the integration of work. The program evolved into Project SELF-HELP (Surveying Educational Limiting Factors – Helping Each Learning Performance.) The program expanded from ten students to more than 400 by 1990. Harold’s own words encapsulate his heart for people:
“I learned from one of the very first people I worked for, Forrest Slaughter, that the best way to earn a person’s confidence is to listen to them. Once you have that trust factor established, where that person can confide in you, you can help them to feel good about themselves, and they can accomplish anything.”
Harold’s demure and quiet intentional care is a mark of God’s imprint. He became a disciple as a child at Visitor’s Chapel A.M.E. in Hot Springs, AR. Harold was an active member of St. John A.M.E. in Topeka, KS, FOR 50 YEARS, where he served as the Superintendent of Sunday School and as a Trustee. He also sang tenor in the Chancel Choir and Men’s Ensemble, and was inducted into the St. John Hall of Fame. And he left his mark on the church in other ways: you’d often see him climbing a ladder to complete paint touch-ups on the walls of the historic church. When Harold and Frankie moved to Kansas City, MO they attended the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Kansas City, KS, where their son, DeLano Sr., is the senior pastor.
Harold loved his family. His quiet personality was salve to a complex soul. He was content with watching a University of Kansas Jayhawks basketball game, enjoying a cup of Coca-Cola with two pieces of ice that never seemed to melt, and a handful of Oreo cookies. But his mind and heart were always at work. He was a subtle comedian, whose storytelling was often interrupted by the combination of laughs and tears. He was always rushing to go home or hang up the phone, and found solace on the edge of a lake or the Gulf of Mexico. He was simplistic in his plaid button-down shirts from Sears, yet ever searching for a better gift for his wife. He was brief in speech, yet always thinking about how to be a better dad for his children and grandchildren. He was a glimpse of all that he is now in the presence of Christ.
Harold leaves behind the call to build on his legacy, Frankie, his cherished wife of 65 years; his children Harold Jr. (Jenny) of Kansas City, MO, De Anna Ward (Rodney) of Apollo Beach, FL, and DeLano Sr. (Lindsey) of Kansas City, MO; his grandchildren—William Tre’, DeLano Jr., Payton, Talor and Jackson; an older brother, Ronald E. Sheffield, and several nieces and nephews.
