Update on Dec. 7, 2021: This story has been updated to include information on a memorial service and fundraising efforts.

She delivered the mail, and she delivered primary school kids between Earl Shapiro Hall and the historic campus by shuttle. Still, the most reliable delivery Jaime Rachel brought to the Lab community was her smile and personality.

“We all feel the same way about Jaime,” said Cynthia Boykin, a campus safety officer and longtime friend of Ms. Rachel. “She brought some sunshine when she came around.”

Jaime Rachel, 43, a well-known and well-loved Lab staff member, died Nov. 23. 

The Rachel family plans to hold a memorial service on the historic campus Dec. 11, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the Assembly Hall at Gordon Parks Arts Hall. The family encouraged guests to wear orange, Ms. Rachel’s favorite color. Ms. Rachel’s friends have also started a GoFundMe fundraiser to support her children with short-term expenses.

Having occupied several roles in the Lab community, Ms. Rachel was known by many people at the historic campus and at ESH. She began at Lab as contracted security, and after a few years she started working for the school full-time in 2013 as the mailroom clerk. She later drove the shuttle buses for Earl Shapiro Hall, assisted with Summer Lab and stepped in as a substitute teacher at the primary school throughout the pandemic.

Tony Baker, associate director of operations on the historic campus, started work at Lab at the same time as Ms. Rachel, and they worked closely together. 

“She’s always been a great resource and asset to our team and was always somebody great to work with and that we could count on and rely on,” Mr. Baker said.

He recounted a time when Ms. Rachel stepped in to fill a hole on the operations team during a weekend event, adding that she did so “without hesitation.”

According to Ms. Boykin, Ms. Rachel would go out of her way to help her friends as well as her colleagues. Ms. Rachel once brought Ms. Boykin catfish steaks after learning that her friend wasn’t satisfied with the fish Ms. Boykin caught herself. Ms. Rachel would often drive Ms. Boykin through the city when she was unsure how to navigate the highways. 

“She was sassy, she was funny and she was just so caring,” Ms. Boykin said. “If you were ever down, and she came around, you knew she was going to make you laugh. She was just that type, and not only with me.”

Ms. Rachel also took on the role of a Lab parent for a time, when her youngest son, Ethan, attended Lab through first grade. She is survived by her family, including children Jailyn, 22; Emily, 17; and Ethan, 9; and her beloved dog, Cash.

Ms. Boykin later sent an email that said, “I observed my friend make some changes in her life to become her very best self, and I believe she had arrived. It was a blessing for me to know and see the transformation. I got the chance to tell Jamie how much she had matured, how proud I was of her and how much I loved her. For that, I am truly grateful.”