Sharon Rochelle Jones

Who was Sharon Jones? The Daughter, the Book Scholar and the Sister SHARON R. JONES, daughter of the late Esther (Earline) Greene and William Jones, was born on January 2, 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland. She made her earthly transition on September 25, 2021.Sharon was educated in the Baltimore City Public Schools and received her General Education Development diploma. She was awarded a full academic scholarship to the University of Maryland Baltimore County but declined to attend due to personal challenges. Sharon was an avid reader. As a child, she traveled to many locations just by opening up a book. She allowed them to transport her to different times and places. Her favorite genre was Romance. She would read all day as it was her favorite past time. Sharon was the oldest to her sisters, Cynthia, Annette and Paulette, who died at an early age. At the tender age of sixteen, Sharon and her sisters lost their mother and were raised by Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth and Bernice Carter. Although they had a warm family to stay with, Sharon remained as their protector. She was known fiercely as, Big Sharon. There was never a time that her sisters would call on her for help that she wouldn’t put down her book, go outside, whip up on WHOMEVER was bothering them and then go back home to finish her book, lol! Her sisters meant the world to her. Whenever you saw one, you saw the other two. Sharon, Duck and Annette is how they were referred to. She shared a special bond with her sisters. She loved and cared for them, even into their adulthood. They raised their children as siblings and their grandchildren as well. The Teacher and the Friend Sharon, or Ms. Jones, as she was adoringly called, began as a volunteer for the Baltimore City School system in the 1970’s and from there was promoted to a Teacher’s Aide. She worked at multiple schools but found true, long lasting relationships at both James Mosher Elementary School and Franklin Square Elementary Middle Schools. She served as a Teacher’s Aide, a Parent Liaison and a Para-Educator. She was employed by the Baltimore City Public Schools systems for over 40 years before she retired in 2015. Sharon had numerous friends but she valued her friendship with Ms. Hester Johnson and the “Girls” (Merita, Connie, Reeder, Fitzhugh and Big Rucker) at Franklin Square. They had a special friendship that lasted even after her retirement. The Mother, the Grandmother and the GREAT-Grandmother In 1968, Sharon met Charles Johnson and they were blessed to share two daughters, Ramona and Trish. Charles and Sharon shared a life of love and friendship for over fifty years! Sharon had a special bond with her daughters. She loved them both. She was a warm and caring woman and they loved her dearly. She would hug them daily and tell them how much she loved them. She would affectionately squeeze their leg to make them laugh and they would hate it, lol! Sharon and Mona had a special bond. Her first baby that she had to learn how to be a mother to. She cared for her, she taught her how to stand up for herself and to be bold. Sharon and Trish also had a special bond. They were inseparable. Whenever you saw one, you saw the other. If Trish was there, her Mother Dear was not far behind. Her daughters took exceptional care of her and she was thankful for it. Sharon was blessed to have one granddaughter, Keisha and two grandsons, Joseph and Devin. Sharon loved her grandchildren more than anything else in the world. She revered family. She wanted to expose them to different opportunities. She also instilled the importance of education to them. Sharon was proud of her children and grand-children. When she talked about them, her eyes would smile. Each of them were special to her in their own way. She looked at Keisha as her only granddaughter, the one that captured her heart. The one that needed the extra love and support. She looked at her oldest grandson Tre as her protector. She knew that she did no wrong in his eyes and she was proud of the man that he had become. She looked at her youngest grandson Devin as her scholar. She would often say that she had to keep reading to ensure that he didn’t surpass her. They all took turns in making sure that she was taken care of, returning back to her what she had given to them. She made sure that they had EVERYTHING that they needed for school. Her favorite pastime was school shopping, lol! She would make her up one of her infamous lists of all of the things that the children needed for school. As a GREAT-Grandmother, she excelled at it! She loved all seven of them, Khari, Kimora, Amber, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Ava and Ari. She had a special relationship with each of them. She took care of them and she would give them hugs that would make anyone’s heart melt. She has left her love and spirit with them to ensure that they never forget her. The Team Nana Sharon became the Team Nana to her grandson Devin’s football and baseball team. She became a permanent fixture at the fields and she made sure that after every win, there was a HEARTY meal waiting for the victors! There would be lines of players, coaches, family members and others waiting to taste what she had prepared for them. The families loved her personality and her spunk. She treated them like they were all family. Throughout the years, she became Nana to loads of children but her grandsons, Jimmy, Maliek and Jamar held a special place in her heart. The Aunt Sharon had many, many nieces, but she only had one niece, Patrice. She loved her like her own. She became an Aunt Nana to her sister’s grandsons, Ma’Ryan, Ahmad and Amir. They were her grandchildren as well. Throughout the years, she formed a special relationship with her nieces and nephews that she helped to raise. Some even had the opportunity to live with her in her home. She cared and loved them all especially her favorite niece, you know EXACTLY who you are. The Woman She leaves to cherish her legacy of love, compassion and heart to her daughters, Ramona and Trish; her grandchildren, Keisha, Joseph (Ebony) and Devin; her great-grandchildren, Khari, Kimora, Amber, Aubrey, Aaliyah, Ava Marie and Ari; her sister, Annette; her brother, Cinque; her niece, Patrice; her nephews, Ahmad, Amir and Rico; her adoptive mother, Bernice; her uncle, James (Angela); her aunt, Caron; her godsons, Rodney and Keon; her brother-in-law, Howard (Aurelia); her bonus children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, James, Antoinette, Robert, Donnell, Tyrone, Ashley, Elrico, Monteya, Denitra, James, Juanima, Ezekiel, Taraji, Tyrone, Jr., Abrielle, Karye, Elrico, Jr. her special cousins, Jennine, India, Viva, Donnell, Corey and Santosh; a special son, Kelvin; the entire Jones Nation, her nieces, nephews and the many friends that she made throughout her life. Sharon was a loving woman that loved the color yellow. We believe that it was for her bright and sunny personality, for the smile that lit up a room and for the love that shined through every conversation you had with her. #68shadesofyellow

Tributes

Sharon Rochelle Jones

January 2, 1953 - September 25, 2021