Newton Affordable Housing Champion Rev. Howard Haywood Has Died

NEWTON, MA — Newton native and passionate affordable housing activist Reverend Howard M. Haywood passed away this weekend. He was 77.

"Our heartfelt condolences, prayers and sorrows to his family, the Myrtle Baptist Church and the City of Newton. His passing is a great loss to everyone and his light will shine on forever," posted the Newton Police on social media.

Haywood was honored in December at Temple Shalom for a lifetime of community work.

“I’m convinced he wants all of us, with great urgency, to march forward and channel his grit and tenacity to bring respect, diversity and acceptance to all 13 villages,” Mayor Ruthanne Fuller told the crowd at the time. “I urge all of us to work together and harness Rev. Haywood’s courage to do right by his life’s work.”

Haywood was Pastor of the Myrtle Baptist Church of West Newton for 24 years.

Haywood was known as champion of affordable housing. He pushed for the building of Myrtle Village, with seven units of affordable housing that was completed in 2017.

"In 2015 at age 75, he decided to run for public office in Newton, and was elected to serve on Newton's charter commission. While on the commission he fought for a more effective, modernized city council that would be more accountable to voters and more responsive to our city's ever-changing needs," said Rhanna Kidwell in an email to Patch remembering Haywood.

He helped raised funds to help rebuild a church in Arkansas that was destroyed in the southern church burnings and supplying food, clothing and Christmas gifts to the victims of hurricane Katrina, according to his church website. He was also behind the annual Citywide Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration.

Haywood was active in a number of city projects and committees throughout the years including the Council on Aging, The Foundation for Racial, Religious and Ethnic Harmony, Newton Community Development Foundation, Board of the YMCA, Newton Clergy Association, Board of the Newton Boys and Girls Club, and the Newton Human Rights Commission.

In 2005, he was awarded the City’s Human Rights Award.

Haywood was a bricklayer by trade and worked in the construction industry for more than 50 years. He was also the Assistant general Manager of Design and Construction for the MBTA before he retired in 2004, after 21 years. After that he worked for six years for A E. C. O. M. Corp. as a vice president of rail transit. He then went on to work for Klindfelder Corp as principle engineer. He closed out his professional career as a consultant for Triunity Engineering Corp, according to his church website.

Howard leaves behind his wife Karen (Evans) Haywood, and his daughter Kristen Smith and Howard Jr. both of Newton and granddaughters Julia Haywood, Zoë Smith, Carmen Velez-Haywood and a great grandson Giovanni Morales. His daughter Georgianna preceded him in death.

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Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff