Thelma Mozingo

Glennie Thelma Mozingo (Jones) passed away Sunday evening, December 28, 2025, of natural causes at her residence, Home Place of New Bern. She will be remembered by family and friends as a woman of deep faith and quiet strength, but with an intelligent, wry sense of wit and humor.

She was born in Duplin County, NC on October 13, 1932 to the late Harvey and Alice Herring Jones. She and her older brother (Delmus) and younger sister (Margaret) helped their parents work their farm. She told many stories about her chores around the farm - cleaning, baking, sewing, harvesting tobacco and pecans-, noting that it was always her job to clean the kerosene lamps as hers were the smallest hands in the family and could reach into the glass for cleaning.

She attended BF Grady High School for all 12 grades and graduated as the class valedictorian in 1950. She was an avid reader from an early age, a practice and pastime she enjoyed her entire life. She told stories of how hungry for books she was and about her childhood visits to a neighbor lady’s home to borrow additional books to read. Next to her daily reading of the Bible, she enjoyed mysteries the most.

After high school she left home in Duplin County and continued her education at Park View Hospital Nursing School in Rocky Mount, NC. It was in this town she met her husband of 62 years, Ernest Mozingo. Upon her graduation from nursing school and after his return from a tour of duty in Korea, they married on May 16, 1954 at Garner’s Chapel Baptist Church.

They moved to various towns throughout Eastern North Carolina as Ernest’s job with Carolina Telephone required. Thelma and Ernest’s first child, Mike was born in Rocky Mount, NC. Just 13 months later, their second son, Allan was born in Mount Olive, NC. The boys certainly kept her busy (and some days very tired). It was another 5 years when her first daughter, Bonnie was born, followed 2 years later by her last and youngest daughter Patricia. They made the final job related move to New Bern in 1970, where they lived the rest of their lives.

As the children were growing, Thelma worked as a registered nurse in various settings (hospital, doctor’s office, industrial plant and skilled nursing facility). Her calm, compassionate and competent nursing skills enabled her to excel in her profession. Those same skills came in handy for a few medical “bumps in the road” of her own. She recently said of those bumps, “… they were hard at times, but I just did what I needed to do to get through them and kept moving forward”. Just one example of her remarkable strength of character.

Along with raising a family and working full-time, Thelma was a devoted Southern Baptist, teaching Sunday School well into her late 80’s, serving in the Gideons Auxiliary, quietly living her faith every day. She and her faithful friends Nancy and Edna continued their weekly bible studies - a time Thelma truly looked forward to each Wednesday for over 30 years, up to last week. She also volunteered to teach sewing classes and served in officer roles at the Jones County Extension Office.

She retired from nursing but continued to work some here and there. All the years of making biscuits as a young girl and mother came in handy when she worked at The Country Biscuit Shop. Her years of sewing both for herself, friends and her children came in handy later when she worked (played) at New Bern Fabric Center. She was a whiz behind the sewing machine, sewing for her grandchildren, and just as recently as last year, sewing small handmade gifts.

Thelma loved a good shopping day and a good crafting day. She and her sister Margaret spent many days driving the roads, shopping and scheming up new home décor craft projects. During Covid, she and her granddaughter Caroline sewed masks for family and friends. This Fall she and her daughter Bonnie spent afternoons crafting together.

Thelma is preceded in death by her parents, husband, Ernest, and brother, Delmus Jones.

She is survived by her children - Michael Mozingo and wife Donna of Mount Pleasant, SC, Allan Mozingo and wife Julie of Missoula, MT, Bonnie Wolfe and Patricia Rammacher and husband Craig of New Bern, NC; six grandchildren, Matthew Mozingo and wife Nastya, Andrew Mozingo, Kaitlyn Whitford and husband Kody, John Mozingo, Caroline Rammacher, Alexis Wolfe and two step grandchildren, Natasha Moffitt, Lindsay Clark; three great grandchildren, Timothy, Tommy and Mark Mozingo and her sister Margaret Kornegay.

Thelma was an inspiring woman. Her strong faith is always a guiding light. Her faith helped her after the loss of her husband and in recent years as she grew to be the oldest living elder of the Jones/Mozingo clan. She will be dearly missed.

We would like to thank the staff at Home Place of New Bern for making her last chapter of life comfortable and enjoyable.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, 2025 at Cotten Funeral Home. Visitation will be at Noon at Cotten Funeral prior to the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make contribution to your favorite charity.