Shelley Edwards Jones, age 84 of Alabama, formerly of Greensburg, Kentucky, passed away on May 10, 2024 at DCH Regional Medical Center. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at 2 pm on Monday, May 20th at First Presbyterian Church Tuscaloosa with Rev. Michael Bailey officiating. Visitation will follow in the Pat Faucett Family Life Center of the church. Norwood-Wyatt Chapel will be directing the service. For more information locally, contact Cowherd and Parrott Funeral Home in Greensburg.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 56 years, Thomas Logan Jones; parents Eleanor and Cecil Shelley Edwards; and nephew, Thomas Emery Jones.
Shelley is survived by her nieces, Ann Druary (Dick) of Houston, TX; Dana Jones of Nashville, TN; nephew Byron Jones (Lynn) of Nashville, TN and her beloved Goddaughters, Marla and Shelley Parks and their parents, Virginia and Sam Parks, all of Tuscaloosa. She is also survived by several cousins and her wide circle of friends from many walks of life.
A native of Greensburg, KY, Shelley graduated from the University of Kentucky where she was a member of Kappa Delta sorority and later received a degree from the University of Alabama. Shelley and Tom moved to Tuscaloosa in 1962 where Tom joined the faculty of the UA Law School and Shelley taught in the Tuscaloosa City School system.
Over her lifetime, Shelley was a leader and supporter of education in Tuscaloosa and made a lasting impact in the lives of many. She began her teaching career at Northington Elementary, and became Principal of Woodland Forrest Elementary where she served for 20 years. She was recognized as National Distinguished Principal in 1993. Following her retirement from teaching, Shelley became the first woman appointed to the Tuscaloosa City School Board and served for 8 years with one year as Chairman.
Among the many organizations that were the beneficiaries of Shelley’s time and talents well into her eighties were The Community Foundation of West Alabama, where she was honored as a Pillar of the Community in 2007, DCH Foundation Board & Institutional Review Board, Hospice of West Alabama, Caring Days, Elevate Tuscaloosa Task Force, Tuscaloosa Bicentennial committee, Tuscaloosa Education Foundation, Leadership Tuscaloosa and Leadership Alabama, UA College of Education Advisory Board, Kappa Delta Advisory Board, Freedom Farm and the United Way of West Alabama, which she served as chairperson during the pandemic in 2020. The United Way honored her and Tom as the de Tocqueville Society’s Family of the Year in 2022. She received the UA Distinguished Alumnae Award, was honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts and was inducted into the Tuscaloosa Civic Hall of Fame. Equally dedicated to seeing the arts community flourish, she was instrumental in founding Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre, served on the board of CHOM, supported the Tuscaloosa Symphony and most recently, she was working on the Leadership Team for the Capital Campaign for the Saban Center.
At First Presbyterian Church, Shelley faithfully served as both an Elder and a Deacon, helped start the Pre-School program, served on too many committees to mention, and was a member of Bible 101 Sunday School class.
Though always proud of their Kentucky roots, Shelley and Tom were avid fans and supporters of their adopted University of Alabama teams, attending every athletic event they could and creating a scholarship for Adapted Athletics. She managed to find time to tend her roses and loved to garden. Tom and Shelley traveled the world together. Shelley was a gracious southern lady with a heart of gold and a spine of steel. A mentor to many and a friend to all, a woman of boundless energy for others and, though never blessed with children of her own, she helped to raise and nurture so many children of Tuscaloosa.
A special thank you to her devoted caregivers, Veronica Little and Melonese Shannon and to her physicians, Dr. Ross Vaughn, Dr. David Hinton, Dr. Bill Hill.
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In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be given to the following organizations which meant a great deal to Shelley: Shelley & Tom Jones Endowed Scholarship at the University of Alabama College of Education, Thomas L. Jones Endowed Scholarship, University of Alabama School of Law, Shelley E. Jones and Thomas L. Jones Endowed Adapted Athletics Scholarship, First Presbyterian Church Children’s Ministry or Music Ministry, Freedom Farm, Coker, AL, Hospice of West Alabama, The Community Foundation of West Alabama, Tuscaloosa Children’s Theater, Tuscaloosa Education Foundation, United Way of West Alabama.