Pastor Joe Carter from New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, which Houston attended growing up, recalled how she would come sing at some Easter Sunday services even after she'd made it big.
Others recalled fondly how Houston would often return to the area, treating neighbors and fellow church members like family.
"It's almost like she never left," said Sharpe James, a former Newark mayor who organized concerts for a young Houston as well as her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston. "Here's a superstar, but you could find her in Newark, at the church. She was everywhere and everything to everyone."
Pride tied to her enormous talents, and her fame, are also part of her appeal in the Garden State.
Gov. Chris Christie told reporters Tuesday that he believes Houston belongs in the same class as Frank Sinatra, Count Basie and Bruce Springsteen as far as musical luminaries hailing from New Jersey.
That's particularly true at the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, a school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in East Orange, a few blocks from where the singer spent much of her childhood with her parents and two brothers.
Tearful students and staff remembered Houston -- a frequent visitor since the school was named in her honor about 15 years ago -- at a memorial event Monday. In addition to speeches and the release of white balloons, her historic rendition of the national anthem before Super Bowl XXV was replayed.
Students told CNN affiliate WCBS afterward that Houston's successes prove that there's no limits for a girl from northern New Jersey.
"I think that I can achieve whatever I want, just like she did," said eighth-grader Hailey Diasallen.