Celebration of Life will be held at Woodland Trace Church of Christ, Friday, November 13, 2020, at 2 p.m., with social distancing and mask required.
Our Mom was born on her grandparents’ farm in Empire, Alabama. She grew up in mining camps in the Gorgas and Aldridge communities where she developed lifelong friendships that were celebrated with her beloved Martin High School Class of 1957 alumni annual reunions. She married her husband, James Larry, shortly after high school and they briefly moved to Hammond, Indiana. She literally rode a train back to Walker County with her mother the day before her daughter, Lisa, was born. Kathy was born 24 months later and “The Baby”, Mark, followed 14 months later. Her married life was spent on a farm south of Oakman raising doorstep kids. She planted flowers and vegetable gardens, canned and preserved food, cared for many animals, fed songbirds and hummingbirds, and always put up a gourd pole for her returning purple martin flock. She was a renowned cook and could literally feed an army of friends and family. She made delicious home cooked meals and self-admitted that she could dirty every pot and pan in the process. Cooking was her forte, cleaning was not. Her homemade biscuits and gravy was the cornerstone of the Jones family breakfasts for the annual Gatlinburg Christmas trips. She loved Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Floyd Cramer, and all the 1950s music; floral scented perfume; saltwater taffy & fruit; and professed to hate shopping so she always bought in bulk from Sam’s Wholesale or off QVC and Home Shopping Network. She loved the Auburn Tigers and followed all sports throughout the year. A favorite gift was anything that sported the AU logo!
Mom attended church at Aldridge, Liberty Hill, Valley View, and McArthur Heights. She served on the Walker County Farmer’s Federation Board of Directors and chaired the Women’s Committee for numerous years. She was afforded extensive travel with that group and formed friendships across the state. Mom faced health challenges throughout her adult life but persevered through the loss of a premature daughter, treatment of laryngeal and breast cancer, two hip replacements, and several chronic conditions and surgeries. Due to declining health, she spent her last year in Harbor Chase Assisted Living Facility where she received excellent care.
She loved her extended family and told stories of her childhood throughout her life. She reminisced the happy times that she spent on her Papa Tommy and Mama Lola’s farm and how she was spoiled and made to feel special by them and her Uncles Thomas and Ralph and her Aunt Helen. Aunt Sara provided numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins with both family history lessons as well as unsolicited advice at times. She even purchased a smart phone so she could send texts daily to her brother, Terrell, who lives in Texas. Although she never really mastered the process, we all treasured her efforts to stay in touch electronically.
Mom’s calling in life was her role as a mother and grandmother. She was a smitten grandmother who said that her grandsons, Andrew and Alex, were like having her babies all over again and stated numerous times that she never dreamed that she would live to see the birth of her two great grandchildren, Zander and Guy Brooks. Her true gift was to make each of us feel supported and loved uniquely and unconditionally. She always boasted that she had been made a millionaire three times over by her children. She called us every year on our birthday and told us our birth stories in detail always concluding with how happy she was to see that beautiful baby arrive. Her legacy of love and support will be missed by all that were blessed to know her.
She was preceded in death by her husband, James Larry Jones; infant daughter, Sara Elizabeth Jones; parents William Lee and Lorene Adkins; sister, Elaine Blackwell; grandparents, William Thomas and Lola Adkins and Thomas and Minnie Sherwood; in-laws, Larry and Cora Jones.
She is survived by her children, Lisa Jones German (James), Kathy Jones (Pam), and Mark Jones; grandsons, Andrew German and Alex German (Brooke); great grand grandsons; Zander German and Guy Brooks German; brother, William Terrell Adkins (Carol) and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in the memory of Sara Jones to Town of Oakman in care of Jennifer Wade P.O. Box 267 Oakman, AL 35579, for Senior Center in memory of Sara Jones.
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