Shirley Jean Jones

Shirley Jean Jones was born on May 2, 1943, in Nashville, Tennessee of the late Grace Lane Wilson and Willie Lane, Jr. She peacefully accepted her Heavenly Wings on Monday, May 29, 2023, in the presence of her loving family. Shirley was preceded in death by her mother and father, Grace Lane Wilson and Willie Lane, Jr.; her sweet aunt Elizabeth Mays known as “Big Mama”; brother, Donald Lane; nieces Akeila Randle and Charmaine Rowan; nephews, Guy and Alandis Spells, and Tony Stout; and dear sister-friend, Opal Ransom.

She married her high school sweetheart, Willie Clarence “Sonny” Jones, of Nashville, in the summer of 1963 on her birthday, May 2^nd, and they celebrated their 60 Year Wedding Anniversary in 2023 and were blessed to have been together for 63 years. To their union they had 3 children; daughters, Tonoa and Rosalind; and one son Sperry.  Shirley was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and loyal friend. She was a faithful Christian who was Baptized at Gordon Memorial UMC in 1965.

As a graduate of Pearl High School in 1961, she went on to work as a legal secretary for Attorney Mose Davie Law Offices and later for the State of TN as a Data Processor in the War Memorial Building.  In the fall of 1968, Shirley and Sonny moved to Detroit, MI, where they resided to raise their three children. Shirley began working as an Information Security Risk Analyst at the security headquarters of Comerica Bank. She received various awards before retiring after 27 years, in 2003.

Shirley had a love for reading, cooking and baking, walking, scrapbooking, and enjoyed traveling domestically and internationally. She notably enjoyed playing cards and board games. She enjoyed watching the Dallas Cowboys, Golden State Warriors, TSU Tigers, and her grandsons’ football teams. Over the years she was a club member of the 1961 Senior Pearls Lunch Group, Hitchhikers Traveling Club, Sophisticated Ladies, Detroit Bowling League, Omega Psi Phi Quettes, and Gordon Memorial UMC Link 7.   

         Those surviving to cherish her memories are her husband, Willie Clarence “Sonny” Jones; daughters, Tonoa Davis Williams and Rosalind Marsh, both of Goodlettsville, TN; her son, Sperry Jones of Hendersonville, TN; brother, Ronald Lane of New Orleans, LA; granddaughters, Telece and Alexis; grandsons, Dontay, Malachi, Xaviere, and Sperry II; sisters-in-law, Pauline Spells of Nashville, TN, Sadie (David) King of Bellevue, NE, and Veronica (Norris) Randle of Florissant, MO; brother-in-law, Charles (dearest sister in law Eleanor- deceased) Carothers; nieces, Lisa Spells, Vanessa (Dotcy) Isom, Dr. Angela (Courtney) Smith, Franchelle (Walter) Lewis, Trina Sadler, Melissa White, Mignon (Johann) Plater, and Tammy (John) Lott; nephews, Dr. Anthony (Melanie) Trecek-King, Norris Lee Randle, Jr., Brandon Randle, Alex (Carrie) Carothers, Kyle (Marissa) Carothers, Reggie Sawyers, and close cousins Patricia Stone and family. In addition to a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends.