Dr. Jewel Annabelle Taylor Thompson, born on October 27, 1935, in Kinsale, Virginia, passed away on Friday, June 27, 2025 at 4:10 pm. She was the daughter of Rev. Dr. Waverly Edward Taylor, Sr. and Ella Joyce Holman Taylor and was one of six siblings: Phyllis Taylor Hall of Baltimore, Maryland, and the late Joyce Taylor Salley, John Taylor, Charles Taylor, and Waverly E. Taylor, Jr. Later in life, her family grew to include her father’s second wife, Cozetta Hogan Taylor, and two additional siblings, Brenda Taylor Alexander (Theodore, Jr.) of Alexandria, Virginia, and the late Rubye Taylor McKnight.

Jewel’s childhood was steeped in music. Her mother was the official Church Musician, and in addition to being an elementary school teacher, she taught piano lessons for neighborhood children. This inspired Jewel’s own musical journey. Blessed with perfect pitch, Jewel developed a lifelong passion for music. After her mother’s sudden passing when Jewel was just eight years old, Jewel became the church pianist at the churches her father pastored. She played for worship services and accompanied the choir until she entered college at the age of sixteen.

Jewel was educated in the public schools in Kinsale and graduated as Valedictorian of her high school senior class. She attended Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Theory and Composition also from the Eastman School of Music. A grant from the Charitable Foundation of the Supreme Council for the Ancient and Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Southern Jurisdiction, Prince Hall Affiliation) underwrote her travel and study in London, England, and all of her research for her doctoral dissertation on Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Her book: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: The Development of His Compositional Style, was published by Dearborn Publishers of Chicago in May of 1999.

On June 10, 1961, she married Leon Everette Thompson of Richmond, Virginia, who later served as Director of Education Activities with the New York Philharmonic. He predeceased her in 1983. Together they shared their musical talents in concerts and churches across the nation.

Jewel pursued her love for music professionally. Before going to graduate school, she served as Music Director for churches in two cities in Virginia where she taught music at the local high school. She later served in various academic roles including assistant professor at West Virginia Institute of Technology, West Virginia State College, and Virginia State University. In 1975, she and her family joined the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City, where she served as the church organist and later as the Minister of Music until 2007.

Jewel joined the music faculty at Hunter College of the City University of New York in 1972. She served as professor from 1977 until her retirement in 2024. Upon her retirement in 2024, Jewel had dedicated her love of music and education to Hunter College for 52 years.

Jewel was a charter member of The Links, Incorporated of Bergen County, New Jersey, a women’s service organization dedicated to enriching, sustaining, and ensuring the identities, culture, and economic survival of African-Americans and persons of African descent. She served as its Eastern Area Chair of the Arts from 1995 to 2003 and the Eastern Area National Music Director from 2004-2006. She was also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Jewel has composed and arranged many works for piano, organ, and mixed chorus, men’s chorus, women’s chorus, and solo voice. She was commissioned to write three pieces for women’s voices for the opening of the World Congress of Women which convened in New York City during the week of June 3, 1990. A concert featuring several of her choral works was presented by VOICES SAINT-PAULIA of New York City on May 12, 1991. REJOICENSEMBLE, also of New York, featured several of her pieces, in concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, in May 1996. Her choral works are published by Morning Star Music Publishers of Fenton, Missouri, and GIA Publishers of Chicago, Illinois. Published choral pieces include: “Lord I Want to Be a Christian,” “Were You There?”, “I’m Free At Last”, “Hush! Somebody’s Calling My Name,” “I Been In De Storm,” “Stand By Me,” and “Can I Ride?”

Jewel has received many awards and recognitions such as:

• One of four African-American Women Composers featured at the Harlem School of the Arts, New York City, March 1994
• Recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Service to the College and Community – Hunter College, April 1998
• Recipient of the Outstanding Ministry Award as an outstanding woman composer by Forever Amen Choral Ensemble of the Abyssinian Baptist Church July 2007
• Listed in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, Who’s Who Among American Women, Who’s Who in American Education, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World

Performances by the Sanctuary Choir of The Abyssinian Baptist Church under the direction of Jewel include:

• Accompanied by the Harlem Festival Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah, Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ
• Included in the soundtrack for the Civil War Documentary produced by Florentine Films and broadcasted on PBS Television (1988)
• Concert for the United Nations Ambassadors Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, honoring Kofi Annan and Secretary of State Madeline Albright (September 1998)
• Performance with Skitch Henderson and The New York Pops Orchestra in a Holiday Gala at Carnegie Hall (December 1999)

Jewel is survived by her daughters Sonca T. Wiltshire of Hackensack, New Jersey, and Miya Thompson Smith (Alan) of Teaneck, New Jersey; granddaughter Rebecca Nicole Wiltshire; grandson Alan Earl Smith III; sisters Phyllis Hall and Brenda Alexander; brother-in-law Leroy Salley, sister-in-law Barbara Taylor; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Jewel will be remembered for her love and commitment to God, music, education and her family. Her favorite church hymn was “My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me,” a testament to her enduring faith. We know that her Heavenly Father is watching over her now, and He is watching over all of us now.

Visitation will be held Friday, July 18, 4-8 PM, at Frech-McKnight Funeral Home, 161 Washington Avenue, Dumont, NJ 07628.

Family and friends are invited to gather on Saturday, July 19, 9 AM, for visitation at Abyssinian Baptist Church, 132 West 138th Street, New York, NY 10030, with a funeral service to follow at 10 AM.

Jewel will be laid to rest beside her husband Leon at George Washington Memorial Park, Paramus, NJ.