Ethel Jones

Mrs. Ethel Mary Lee Strown-Jones was born December 9, 1924, in Talladega, AL. To the late Amos C. and Luvonia Strown. She was the youngest of eight children and was raised in the Antioch Community. On January 10, 1942, she married Major Jones of Alpine, AL. and to this union were born seven children. She was preceded in death by, four brothers Hampton Cross, Boston Cross, Henry D. Strown, and Claude Strown, and three sisters Bertha Gooden, Tisha Strown, and Vera May Phillips, husband Major Jones, and daughter Linda Tuck. From a young child, she loved to sing. She often would sit on her father's or oldest brother's lap and sing as they tapped their feet. That was the beginning of her love affair with singing. At an early age, she joined Antioch Baptist Church where she faithfully used her gift of singing. Whenever and wherever she could sing, she was in her element. Ethel was a very gifted and talented woman. Proverbs 31:15 would aptly apply to her. She perceived that her merchandise was good, and her light did not go out. She was a milliner, and a seamstress (she made choir robes, men's suits, and blankets). If she felt she could do it, she did it and became profitable. She was a firm believer that if you did not use the gifts God gave you, you would lose them. In the late seventies and eighties, she made rag dolls and sold them. One of her favorites was Mr. T. In the summer she was known for her delicious ice cream of assorted flavors. On Friday and Saturdays, she sold dinners in Talladega and sometimes produce. Her hands were always at work, Proverbs. 31:19. Her next project was making breakfast sandwiches and selling them to the truck drivers in the early mornings. When a restaurant at the truck stop of I-20/exit 165 was opened, she started making fried pies, then later making pies for the Shack BBQ restaurant. She made pies until her age said no, but her hands were never idle. Prov. 31:27b, she never ate the bread of idleness. Ethel was truly an entrepreneur at heart, her gifts made away Prov. 18:19. There was a period when she stopped sewing for a moment because of cataracts, she worked at the Ralston Purina Company and Crown Textile Mill. But she soon quit those jobs and went back to her entrepreneurship. She was a very independent and determined person. Ethel was a great fundraiser for causes that she believed in, especially involving churches. Not only was she very ingenious, but her greatest love was to use the gift God gave her of singing. For many years she was a soloist for Strickland Funeral Home broadcast every Sunday morning, as well as the go-to soloist for funerals. Soon she joined the singing circuit of gospel singers. After Mr. Strickland's broadcast ended, she started her own radio broadcast and later years a television broadcast. Her voice has touched many lives, many times in her later years, "she would say I just want to win a soul to Christ." She truly believed that she was spreading the gospel by sponsoring ministers through her broadcast. She firmly believed that all her gifts were to be used for profit, except her gift of singing. Singing was always something she loved dearly. Everything she touched turned to gold in her hands Ethel was a giving person and loved sharing with others, but she never liked large family gatherings. In her later years, she joined Mt. Cannon Baptist Church and was faithful until her health began to decline and she could no longer drive. Somewhere in between, she came back into fellowship with her home church. On August 6, God saw fit to close our mother's eyes and give her rest. She leaves to cherish her beloved memories with six children: Nathan Jones of Darien, IL. Bertha Garrett of Detroit, MI., Bobbie Saulter of Levittown, NY., Major Jones Jr (Melanie), of Bolingbrook, IL.; Leroy Jones (Linda) of Powder Spring, GA., Jacqueline Wilson (Larry) of Atlanta, GA., and a beloved son-in-law Milton Tuck of Tuscaloosa, AL. Along with twenty-two grandchildren, forty-three great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren, a devoted loving grand-niece, Peggy Strown (caregiver), and a host of nephews and nieces, and other relatives, and friends.

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Ethel Jones

December 9, 1925 - August 6, 2022