Mrs. Annie Mary Jones

In the quiet sunshine of a Georgia evening, the world became a touch duskier as Mrs. Annie Mary Jones, aged ninety three (93), entered the ancestral realm on Monday July 22, 2024.

Funeral services were held on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 11:00 A.M. at Union Hill Baptist Church with Pastor Charles Prince, officiating. Interment was held in Rest Haven Memorial Gardens.

Born under the waning days of summer, on August 26, 1930, in the nurturing arms of the late Ms. Izora Cummings Lawson and the late Mr. Elijah King in Washington County, Georgia, Annie blossomed into a being of glorious joy and boundless compassion.

Annie, known affectionately as “Mae,” attended school in her early years at Ohoopee Baptist Church and later at The Tennille Negro School. She had a great desire for learning as she walked a total of ten miles daily to The Tennille, Negro School.

As a young lady, she met and married the late Mr. Walter Thomas Asberry. One child was born to this union: Mrs. Rebertha Asberry Andrews. Other children entered her life in later years.

Annie moved to Canton, Ohio in 1959. A few years later, she met and married the late Mr. Robert Jones. She was a ray of sunshine in the community. She joined Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church where she was a faithful member for over fifty (50) years serving in the Mission Ministry, Sunday School and Bible Study. She was a beacon of vitality, her laughter a melody that danced through the halls of time. She had a smile that brought joy to all who knew her. She lived as one who loved ardently; her community and her churches, Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and St., John Church of God In Christ, was a testament to her unwavering faith, a place where her spirit soared in harmonious praise.

For three decades, Annie’s hands worked ceaseless devotion within the walls of Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. Her career was not merely a means to an end but an extension of her innate desire to serve, to heal and to comfort. Aultman Hospital was also the birthplace of her grandson.Her heart, a vessel of purest gold, knew the rhythmic beat of kindness, extending its warmth to all within her sphere. The kitchen was her sanctuary, where the transformation of her cooking brought forth feasts. Her homemade chicken and dumplings and fried corn activated a hallelujah good time amongst your taste buds.

Among the celestial choir, she now finds her place, leaving behind the earthly bonds of love and memory. In her wake, she is lovingly cradled in the hearts of her daughter Mrs. Rebertha Asberry Andrews; her son-in-law Mr. Samuel Andrews of Tennille, Georgia; her grandson: Mr. William Keith with Andrea by his side; her grandsons: Christian and Caleb Keith who will carry the light of her legacy; devoted niece: Ms. Katina Asberry and a devoted bonus granddaughter: Ms. Alisa Green.

Annie’s life, a woven tapestry, was rich with the threads of family; her sister-in-law: Mrs. Janie King of Tennille, Georgia; nieces: Ms. Gloria Poole, Ms. Zora Asberry of Tennille, Georgia; nephews: Mr. William King of Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Thasten King of Deepstep, Georgia; Mr. Arcephus (Willie Mae) King of Wadley, Georgia; devoted cousins:  Ms. Glenda Murphy, Mrs. Rosetta (RC) Smith, Mr. Jeremy Davis of Canton, Ohio; devoted great nieces: Ms. Kimberly King, Mrs. Regina (Alonzo) Hall of Tennille, Georgia Ms. Brittany King of Augusta, Georgia great nephews: Mr. Gerald (Kosher) Asberry of Fairburn, Georgia, Mr. Corey (April) King, Mr. Jason (Kenya) Poole, Sr. of Sandersville, Georgia; cherished bonus daughters: Ms. Patricia Woodson, Ms. Katie Tyson, Ms. Charlotte Pruitt of Canton, Ohio, Ms. Jan Ray of Sandersville, Georgia; devoted friends: Ms. Florence Carlton, Ms. Marlene Elliott, Ms. Rosa Parker, Ms. Brenda Hall of Canton, Ohio; nine stepchildren; a host of other relatives and friends.

She now rejoins the stars with her husband: Mr. Robert Jones; her beloved mother: Mrs. Izora Cummings Lawson, her brother: Mr. Willie D. King and her niece: Ms. Betty King Reynolds who preceded her in the ancestral realm. M. C. Smith Funeral Home in charge.