Eunice Roberts Thornton

Eunice Rita Roberts Thornton was born on January 5, 1930 and passed away peacefully at the age of 95 on Sunday, March 9, 2025, in Sharpsburg, Georgia. The 4th of 7 children (the oldest daughter), born into the very close-knit Catholic household of her parents, the late Ulysses Paul Roberts (Papa Joe) and Florida “Ida” Roberts, in the French speaking town of Marksville, Louisiana. The family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, when she was about 5 years old. She had a talent for physical comedy and timing & all through her life she would turn hardships and struggles into fantastic, colorful stories to make the best of situations and make people laugh. While her older brothers, B.J., Ulysses, and Robert, were serving in WWII, she was at home with her loving parents. She was always very close to all of her siblings and for a long while up until the late 60’s they all lived very near each other. She doted over the younger 3 siblings, Mary, Paul, and Bonnie, being loving and nurturing towards them. She loved the children in her family and over the years Eunice developed very close bonds with all of her nieces and nephews and their children as well, encouraging their self-confidence, their talents, and inspiring them to travel.

She had a great love for Western Movies, Western music & the mountains. Her dreams of the West would be her driving force to travel and in the late 1940s when she married a musician she finally headed west. As it turned out, she was a talented country western singer and yodeler. Taking the name of Tennessee Toni she performed in Honky Tonks all over the country for about 7 years. She made acquaintances and performed with interesting people along the way, like singers Ernest Tubb and Marty Robbins. After ending up in San Jose, California, in the mid-1950s she was joined by some other members of her immediate family and contemplated a permanent move there but returned to New Orleans just prior to the birth of her one and only child, Cindy. It was around this time, Eunice and her husband parted ways. She and her daughter resided for many years thereafter with her mother and brother, Robert, in Arabi, Louisiana, and later in Chalmette, Louisiana. There were two more trips to California, this time to Hollywood with her sisters and their children, once again contemplating a move but deciding against it.

Through the 60’s and 70’s, no longer performing professionally, just cutting up for family, Eunice worked at the local retail store, Atlantic Thrift & then became an expert switchboard operator at Schwegmann Bros. giant supermarket, always with the goal of saving money to travel. Then after several years and several trips visiting and traveling with her sister Bonnie and family in Atlanta, Georgia, since their move in the late 60’s, Eunice and Cindy decided to make a new start there as well. In the early 80’s, they moved in with Bonnie and family in Marietta, Georgia, for about 10 years until Eunice and Cindy finally settled in Norcross, Georgia, where they lived for over 20 years. Many trips along the way and true to form, as it was back home in New Orleans, Eunice was a big influence on the family in Georgia, especially Bonnie’s children and grandchildren, making lasting impressions & friendships there while maintaining relationships with the rest of the family.

The greatest outpouring of her love and devotion was undeniably for her daughter, Cindy, who became the primary focus of her adult life up until Cindy’s sudden, tragic death in 2014. Eunice suffered tremendous heartbreak by the loss of Cindy but thankfully, she was prayerful and did indeed turn to God, family, and friends for support and she lived out her life as fully and happily as she could for her remaining years. She will always be remembered with much love for the joy she brought to so many through her gift of humor. She was one of a kind and when God made her, He broke the mold. She always said, “I’d rather make you laugh than cry,” and that she did. God Rest her soul.

Eunice is survived by her only remaining sibling, sister, Bonnie Ann Cochran; her nieces, nephews, and their families, Kenneth Joseph Roberts, Kay Roberts Bonner, Kim Gerard Roberts, Kevin Anthony Roberts, Ronald Paul Roberts, Richard Allen Roberts, Randy Joseph Roberts, Rhonda Roberts Gardette, Mark Anthony Monson, Melinda Ann Monson, April Monson Couple, Eric Thomas Monson, Tammie Roberts Miller, Paul Joseph Roberts, Jr., Charles Foster Kimball, Jr., Bambi Lynn Kimball, Debra Ann McDaniel, Stephanie Kimball Young, Jennifer Cochran Tinahui, and Julie Cochran Swift.

Preceded in death, by beloved parents, Ulysses Paul Roberts, Sr. (b.1896, d.1960), Florida Dube’ Roberts (b.1904, d.1998), daughter, Cynthia Mary Thornton, (b.1954, d.2014); nephew, Troy Anthony Roberts (b.1962, d.2024); siblings, Beauford Joseph “B.J.” Roberts (b.1922, d.1999), Ulysses Paul Roberts, Jr. (b.1925, d.1983), Robert Mitchell Roberts (b.1927, d.1991), Mary Roberts Monson (b.1932, d.2019), and Paul Joseph Roberts, Sr. (b.1938, d.2012)

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the National Park Service (ATTN: Accounting Operations Center c/o RDMT Deposits) at 13461 Sunrise Valley Dr. Herndon, VA 20171.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd in New Orleans, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 12 PM. Visitation will begin at 10 AM. After the Mass, Eunice will be laid to rest beside her daughter in Lake Lawn Park.