Betty Jones

Betty Lou Parker was born on October 7, 1934, in Charleston, South Carolina, to her father, Robert Parker and mother, Earline Wright. Betty, her older brother, Thomas and younger sister, Delores were orphaned at an early age and were raised by an aunt in rural South Carolina. Betty attended High School in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. She was a good student. Often, she used the blank pages at the back of books to complete her homework assignments. To earn extra money, she sometimes took in laundry. Betty loved to sing and sang in the school choir. She left high school to marry Irvin R. Jones, Sr. and began her life as an Air Force wife and homemaker. After 20 years of marriage, she divorced and took on the challenges of a single parent with seven children. Betty's dreams as aspirations were lived out through her children. But, she excelled in her supporting role. She went to PTA meetings, she was a Cub Scout Den Mother, she coached youth cheerleading, and attended intramural sports. And she, somehow, found the time to take a typing class. She believed that nothing was impossible if you put your mind to it and encouraged her children to do their best in any endeavor. She loved to read. She loved to learn new things. But, she was a much better teacher. In her later years, she took piano lessons. Betty was personable, approachable, easy to talk to and made friends easily. People took a liking to her right away. Complete strangers would be easily chatting with her within minutes as if they'd known her for years. Her children's friends would call her Mom instead of Ms. Jones because she made them feel like their mom too. However, Betty had few close friends and preferred the familiarity and company of family. Nevertheless, she held on to memories of family and friends because, for a military wife, long distance relationships were difficult to nurture. Betty excelled as a Sales Representative because she enjoyed talking to people. Her determination to better herself allowed her to learn and take on many professional positions, in Retail, Banking, and Telemarketing. Whatever Betty did, she put her heart into it. She loved to cook. She loved the fact that she owned her own house and took pride in making it a home---a place that her family would always call home. She sewed, crocheted, knitted, hammered and nailed, created and repaired, played music, and sang and danced. She loved to decorate and often handmade beautiful items for her home and family. Holidays were special to her. And she, especially, loved to decorate her home for Christmas, her favorite holiday. The door to Betty's house was always open. She welcomed all those who entered. God was the center of Betty's life. Betty faced life's challenges with prayer, praise, vigor and determination. She prayed often—especially for her children—and enjoyed fellowship at church. She loved to tell of how she and her sister walked five miles to and five miles back for church on Sunday. She brought home a used hymnal and enjoyed hearing hymns played on the piano. Here, in Colorado, she was a member of Heritage Christian Center. Betty was beautiful, smart, caring and proud: Full of life, vigor, inner-strength and determination. She had the most beautiful smile and loved to laugh. She raised seven strong, independent, intelligent, self- sufficient, and successful children and has seven wonderful grandchildren, all of whom she loved deeply and all of whom she is very proud. Betty created a bond of family that is strong enough to weather any storm, yet loving enough to help those in need, and roomy enough to become a welcome place for others to be called family: Family is a feeling of belonging and oneness, and not a matter of birth. Betty was resourceful. She taught us that with very little money, our needs could be met; That you (She) could win a Scrabble game using 3-letter words; That we are capable of doing anything; That we haven't yet reached our potential; That we can be creative; That we can be enterprising; That we can always make something even better; That it's never too late to learn; That we need to keep working towards our goals… To never give up. Betty Lou Parker Jones departed this life on April 18, 2017. She is survived by her seven children: Erviena V. Austin, Cheryl E. Jones, Pamela J. Polk, Luwan M. Jones, Irvin R. Jones, Jr., Sandra C. Jones and Donna K. Jones Whitlock; her seven grandchildren: Vernon L. Austin, Arik M. Sloan, Tamerra N. Griffin, Patrick J. Griffin, Zachary A. Whitlock, Zoe A. Whitlock and George W. "Zeke" Whitlock, IV; her son-in-law: George W. Whitlock, III; her sister: Delores Langston; and, her nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Funeral Home: Pipkin Braswell Funerals and Cremation - 2050 Uinta Street, Denver, Colorado
Visitation: 5/11/2017 at 9:00 AM - Pipkin Braswell Chapel of Peace - 6601 East Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO
Service: 5/11/2017 at 11:00 AM - Pipkin Braswell Chapel of Peace - 3370 Ivy Street, Denver, CO
Cemetery: Fairmount Cemetery - 430 South Quebec Street, Denver, CO
Family Gathering: - Following The Interment Pipkin Braswell Reception Center - 2428 Ogden Street, Denver, CO