Shirley A. Jones

Shirley A. Jones was born March 18th, 1938 in Little Rock, Arkansas. She moved to Houston, Texas at the age of 3; then to Atlanta, Georgia with her family while she was in High School. She took up vocal lessons while residing in Atlanta and became an accomplished singer. She also met her husband, James Jones, during her years in Atlanta. Together they returned to Houston to help her parents launch a bakery called Ashcraft Bakery. During that time, she had a daughter they nick named Beth.

Shirley enjoyed being a stay at home mom and volunteering at her local schools. Later she assisted her husband James in his business endeavors; which prompted the start of JJ food Service, a small bakery distribution company. During this time, she still nurtured her artistic side with ceramics and oil painting. After James's death she remained in the Bakery business and eventually went on to decorate for Ashcraft Bakery; followed by designing desserts for Cake Affairs and Julie's Cakes.

As a true lover of the Christmas Holidays, she was an avid collector of ornaments and belonged to the NASA Noeler’s club. In the last 15 years she accepted the responsibility and care of her aging mother, Elizabeth Ashcraft (now 103 years of age). Unfortunately, she suffered with her own declining health for many of her last years. She moved to Ohio to spend the end of her life closer to her daughter and grandson. Regretfully, she passed away only 3 months later on March 28th, 2014 in Canton, Ohio.

Shirley was preceded in death by her sister Carol Franklin; husband, James H. Jones; and father, Tom L. Ashcraft (co-owner of Ashcraft Bakery and Vice president of Full Gospel Businessmen International). She is survived by her Mother, Mary Elizabeth Ashcraft; brother, Tom Ashcraft; daughter, Merry Elizabeth Sexton-Miller; grandson, Adam P. Sexton; Diana Armstrong and family; Thomas Ashcraft and family; and Stephen Ashcraft and family.