In Memory

Tierra Howard - Class Of 2009 VIEW PROFILE

HOWARD, Tierra J. On April 19th, at the University of Washington Medical Center, two twins were born. The second of those twins was Tierra J. Howard. She was born to Jacqueline Jack and Warner Howard as the 4th child between them. She had eight siblings, DJ, Davaun, Tanesha, Terrell, Tarone, Tramell, Tearra, Treadell. She was raised in a household of five where her, and four of her siblings were taken care of by their grandparents John Jack and Alice Timberman. Tierra was not only born in Seattle, but she was also raised there. She loved her city. She attended Hawthorne Elementary where she was a Hawthorne Hotshot, which was a student group that together learned and performed arts and music. She also learned to ride the unicycle, juggle, and was also a part of the choir. She then attended African American Academy Middle School where she played basketball. After AAA she went to Franklin High School but her time there was short lived after her freshman year, she transferred to Cleveland High School. Here she met friends that became like family. After her sophomore year at Cleveland, her grandparents decided to move to Spokane. Here she attended Ferris High School until she graduated in 2009. After Ferris she went to Eastern WA University. She promised her Grandfather that she would bring him home a college degree and she was relentless in her pursuit. In 2013 Tierra graduated from EWU with a degree in communications. As she walked the stage to receive her degree she yelled to her grandfather "Papa I did it" it was one of the moments in her life she was most proud of. After college Tierra went to work at Excelsior Youth Center. Tierra began her journey at Excelsior in December of 2014. Much like many of the employees who come to Excelsior, her main objective was to "help youth." Tierra began as a part-time staff working directly in the Units with clients. Immediately you could tell that she had the right attitude and temperament to do this work effectively and most importantly in a thoughtful and caring manner. During her time at Excelsior this demeanor made her one of the more trusted and supportive staff to not only clients of Excelsior but as well as employees. In May of 2015, Tierra moved into a Full-Time role as a milieu treatment staff. She worked in the Pine Ridge Unit providing support and guidance to youth within that program. During her time in that Unit her leadership qualities began to take form, she would assist Campus Management and ultimately Human Resources in the training and development of new staff. Many times she was identified as an employee that could be counted on to deliver a great and concise training experience to new staff as well as make them feel welcome. This positive attitude and work ethic led to her promotion in July of 2017 to Behavior Support Supervisor. As a Behavior Support Supervisor she was now responsible for not only her team of Full-Time employees but as well as the day-to-day management of the Unit. She continued to demonstrate a great work ethic, ensuring that not only the clients needs were being met but making employees feel empowered to use their skills when working with youth and provide in the moment coaching and support when needed. During her time as an employee, from a part time staff member to Behavior Support Supervisor Tierra demonstrated an exceptional skill set. She developed the ability to work with a diverse set of clients and employees. As Excelsior services began expanding into more comprehensive threads of service, there became a demand to hire individuals who could effectively communicate with, support families, and the team of mental health professionals who worked with them. Tierra's skill set was one that immediately had people thinking she would be great fit for this. In June of 2018 she earned a position as a Care Coordinator, first starting off in the LifePoint program and then ultimately into WISE outpatient services. Tierra was highly regarded amongst the youth and families she worked with as well as amongst her fellow peers. Tierra encompassed all the attributes that make for a successful person at Excelsior. She was kind. She was caring. She was supportive. She was a teammate. She was someone who would listen. She was someone who made you laugh and laughed with you. She was someone you looked forward to seeing. She was someone you just wanted around. She also took these qualities and used them in her day to day life with family and friends. Tierra Howard was a kind, gentle, generous and stubborn soul. She was full of life. So much so that even in death she still gives. She was a organ donor and after her passing was able to help four other people continue their lives. She was the youngest of the girls but the oldest of souls. She loved to dance, cook for her grandpa, and had an unbreakable bond with her twin Tearra. She had a fiercely competitive nature. She understood that not only could that take her where she wanted to go in life, but she could use that to help push others to a better place. She enjoyed travelling and had a love for the outdoors. That love came from growing up going to camp every summer. After her years of being a camper were over, she went back to be a camp counselor. At that point she fell in love with helping youth She was a person who brought happiness joy and life to everything she touched. She had two nephews, and four nieces that she treated as if they were her own kids. She was a woman of many talents, many ideas, and strength. Tierra was a beautiful person. She was a sister, a coworker, an aunt, a best friend, a lover, a fighter, an intellectual, and a gold soul, she is loved and will be missed. Tierra Howard's last trip was to paradise January 2nd 2019. She was preceded by her father Warner Howard in 2014 and long predeceased grandmother Maxine She is survived by her grandparents Alice Timberman, John Jack, her mother Jacqueline Jack, her siblings DJ, Davaun, Tanesha, Terrell, and immediate siblings Tarone, Tramell, Tearra, Treadell.

Published by Spokesman-Review on Jan. 16, 2019.

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/spokesman/name/j-howardtierra-obituary?id=15730694





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