Nellie Mae Walker, daughter of the late Wallace and Alice (Harmon) Jones, transitioned peacefully to God’s Heavenly home on Friday, January 6, 2017 at her residence in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nellie Mae, as she was sometimes called, hailed from a small country town in Alabama known as Demopolis. She was baptized at an early age, far from the pristine baptismal pools of today. Her baptism was not much different from that of the Apostles. With cows peacefully chewing their cud nearby, a somewhat frightened Nellie Mae was symbolically dunked in the muddy, murky waters of a pond. This purification was the beginning of a faith-filled, God-fearing relationship that no amount of worldly temptations could ever unhinge. And she proved her commitment by walking along the dusty back roads with cars kicking the rich, red soil into her face. Her destination: Hopewell Baptist Church and its revival meetings. She’d often meet up with the Johnson family whom she adored immensely. They would remain close friends and allies for the rest of their lives. When visiting the South, Nellie Mae always tried to stop by Hopewell and the Pettus Street A.O.H. Holiness Church pastored by her nephew, Overseer Milton Jones.
Demopolis was a landscape dotted with ant hills and humble homes, some held up only by love and a few cinder blocks. Ask just about any Northerner, and chances are they’ve never heard of it. Jim Crow heard of it, however, and it was this hateful set of laws that kept races from intermingling, kept facilities separate, but not always equal. “We had water fountains for blacks and water fountains for whites,” Nellie Mae had once remarked. So, when Martin Luther King strolled into town, Nellie Mae and many of her classmates promptly left school without permission to join the throngs of people marching with him.
In Demopolis, under the watchful glare of Jim Crow, Nellie Mae spent hours in the fields, hunched over like a question mark, picking cotton and pecans, anything to have a few coins jangling in her pocket. Later in life she would tell her children that if you “earn a dime, save a nickel.” This thrifty mindset allowed her to eventually travel to Ohio, following her big sister Beatrice.
Once in the North, Nellie Mae settled on a job at Frisch’s, where she met a wiry cook named Anthony Walker. As the story goes, Nellie cut her finger slicing tomatoes, and Anthony lent his assistance. “Dr. Anthony” must’ve done a good job because the two eventually married and bore three children together: Garrett, Eric, and Erica. Nellie often times shuttled her family down South to the small town of her upbringing. She loved her kinfolks, and wearing her infectious smile, she’d waltz through the door of a sister or brother to a raucous chorus of hootin’ and hollerin.’ Their love for each other was, and still is, unrivaled, unmatched, and unstoppable.
In 1978, the young family emigrated from their cramped apartment in Bond Hill to a modest ranch-style house in the community of Seven Hills. It was around this time that Nellie Mae met and became infatuated with the second love of her life: the Tryed Stone Missionary Baptist Church. Nellie Mae, strong in her faith, modeled for her young sons the importance of joining this new family and becoming believers. Each Sunday (and sometimes during the week), she dragged her children to church, immune to their protests, tears, and sour faces. She tithed each week without fail and encouraged her children to do so also. Even as cancer had its ugly grip on Nellie Mae, preventing her from leaving the house, she requested that her tithes be paid. She gave her heart to Anthony but gave her soul to the Lord.
Church and family were only two important facets of Nellie Mae; getting an education was the other. Nellie Mae enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. To help pay for school, she secured a job working in daycare at Rescue Temple. It was here that she met lifelong friend Gloria who remained at her bedside when the Lord finally decided to call her home. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, she began a long and fruitful tenure at Mt. Healthy City Schools. But Nellie Mae was not one to let moss grow under her feet; she next acquired her Master’s degree from the College of Mount St. Joe, one of her proudest moments. Education in hand, she set out to be the fresh air missing in a stagnant educational world. In her thirty years of education, she’s taught and affected the lives of hundreds of students.
Nellie was active in her church and generously supported Tryed Stone New Beginning Church, Pettus Street A.O.H Holiness Church and Hopewell Baptist Church in Demopolis, Alabama. Nellie Mae believed in civil rights and was a financial member of the NAACP.
As a mother and grandmother, Nellie Mae was proud and loving. With her kids, she never hesitated to ride “The Beast” at Kings Island Amusement Park or jump in a footrace with some of the neighborhood boys. With those legs pumping like pistons, Nellie Mae became one of the fleetest “kids” on the block. Even while debilitated by cancer and in pain, when the doctors stopped in her hospital room, she didn’t hesitate to inform them that her son had run in the Boston marathon. She gleefully attended Grandparents’ Day at schools, even for children who were not biologically linked to her. She provided clothing and money when necessary, but more importantly, she exuded love, patience, unselfishness, warmth, wisdom, and understanding. Her arms and her home were open to people of all races and backgrounds. As a wife, she was caring, dutiful, and patient. She cracked a whip when needed, but kept love and loyalty at the forefront. She is missed every second of the day.
‘Eulogy’ comes from the Greek word ‘eulogia,’ meaning praise, and that’s all people have for Nellie Mae. They recognize that she was a unique individual whose name was not associated with dishonesty, mistrust, envy, and the like. She was born under the presidency of Truman and died under the presidency of Barack Obama, who once uttered these words: If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. Nellie Mae has walked the right path. She has not wavered. Her course has been steady, and she has finally made progress. She will be missed on earth, but heaven awaits. We love you, Nellie Mae.
Preceding her in death includes her parents, Wallace and Alice Jones; five brothers and three sisters; George Jones, Amos Jones, Houston Jones, Ollie Jones, James Jones, Essie Mae Jones, Beatrice Jones, and Lucille Fitts.
Nellie Mae is survived by her loving husband Mr. Anthony Walker; sons Garrett and Eric; daughter Erica; granddaughters Iman and London; ‘adopted’ grandchildren Mia and William, all of Cincinnati, Ohio; Brothers Samuel Jones, New Orleans, LA, and Peter (Yvonne) Jones, Las Vegas, NV; sister Susie (Dr. Charles) Smith, Augusta, Georgia, devoted brother and sister-in-law’s Ronald Walker, Starkie Walker, Dorothy (James) Brown, Melvin (Suzanne) Goosby, Claron Lawrence, Linda Goosby, all of Cincinnati, and a host of other nieces, nephews, in-laws, relatives and friends.
Family Placed Obituary
Nellie Mae, as she was sometimes called, hailed from a small country town in Alabama known as Demopolis. She was baptized at an early age, far from the pristine baptismal pools of today. Her baptism was not much different from that of the Apostles. With cows peacefully chewing their cud nearby, a somewhat frightened Nellie Mae was symbolically dunked in the muddy, murky waters of a pond. This purification was the beginning of a faith-filled, God-fearing relationship that no amount of worldly temptations could ever unhinge. And she proved her commitment by walking along the dusty back roads with cars kicking the rich, red soil into her face. Her destination: Hopewell Baptist Church and its revival meetings. She’d often meet up with the Johnson family whom she adored immensely. They would remain close friends and allies for the rest of their lives. When visiting the South, Nellie Mae always tried to stop by Hopewell and the Pettus Street A.O.H. Holiness Church pastored by her nephew, Overseer Milton Jones.
Demopolis was a landscape dotted with ant hills and humble homes, some held up only by love and a few cinder blocks. Ask just about any Northerner, and chances are they’ve never heard of it. Jim Crow heard of it, however, and it was this hateful set of laws that kept races from intermingling, kept facilities separate, but not always equal. “We had water fountains for blacks and water fountains for whites,” Nellie Mae had once remarked. So, when Martin Luther King strolled into town, Nellie Mae and many of her classmates promptly left school without permission to join the throngs of people marching with him.
In Demopolis, under the watchful glare of Jim Crow, Nellie Mae spent hours in the fields, hunched over like a question mark, picking cotton and pecans, anything to have a few coins jangling in her pocket. Later in life she would tell her children that if you “earn a dime, save a nickel.” This thrifty mindset allowed her to eventually travel to Ohio, following her big sister Beatrice.
Once in the North, Nellie Mae settled on a job at Frisch’s, where she met a wiry cook named Anthony Walker. As the story goes, Nellie cut her finger slicing tomatoes, and Anthony lent his assistance. “Dr. Anthony” must’ve done a good job because the two eventually married and bore three children together: Garrett, Eric, and Erica. Nellie often times shuttled her family down South to the small town of her upbringing. She loved her kinfolks, and wearing her infectious smile, she’d waltz through the door of a sister or brother to a raucous chorus of hootin’ and hollerin.’ Their love for each other was, and still is, unrivaled, unmatched, and unstoppable.
In 1978, the young family emigrated from their cramped apartment in Bond Hill to a modest ranch-style house in the community of Seven Hills. It was around this time that Nellie Mae met and became infatuated with the second love of her life: the Tryed Stone Missionary Baptist Church. Nellie Mae, strong in her faith, modeled for her young sons the importance of joining this new family and becoming believers. Each Sunday (and sometimes during the week), she dragged her children to church, immune to their protests, tears, and sour faces. She tithed each week without fail and encouraged her children to do so also. Even as cancer had its ugly grip on Nellie Mae, preventing her from leaving the house, she requested that her tithes be paid. She gave her heart to Anthony but gave her soul to the Lord.
Church and family were only two important facets of Nellie Mae; getting an education was the other. Nellie Mae enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. To help pay for school, she secured a job working in daycare at Rescue Temple. It was here that she met lifelong friend Gloria who remained at her bedside when the Lord finally decided to call her home. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, she began a long and fruitful tenure at Mt. Healthy City Schools. But Nellie Mae was not one to let moss grow under her feet; she next acquired her Master’s degree from the College of Mount St. Joe, one of her proudest moments. Education in hand, she set out to be the fresh air missing in a stagnant educational world. In her thirty years of education, she’s taught and affected the lives of hundreds of students.
Nellie was active in her church and generously supported Tryed Stone New Beginning Church, Pettus Street A.O.H Holiness Church and Hopewell Baptist Church in Demopolis, Alabama. Nellie Mae believed in civil rights and was a financial member of the NAACP.
As a mother and grandmother, Nellie Mae was proud and loving. With her kids, she never hesitated to ride “The Beast” at Kings Island Amusement Park or jump in a footrace with some of the neighborhood boys. With those legs pumping like pistons, Nellie Mae became one of the fleetest “kids” on the block. Even while debilitated by cancer and in pain, when the doctors stopped in her hospital room, she didn’t hesitate to inform them that her son had run in the Boston marathon. She gleefully attended Grandparents’ Day at schools, even for children who were not biologically linked to her. She provided clothing and money when necessary, but more importantly, she exuded love, patience, unselfishness, warmth, wisdom, and understanding. Her arms and her home were open to people of all races and backgrounds. As a wife, she was caring, dutiful, and patient. She cracked a whip when needed, but kept love and loyalty at the forefront. She is missed every second of the day.
‘Eulogy’ comes from the Greek word ‘eulogia,’ meaning praise, and that’s all people have for Nellie Mae. They recognize that she was a unique individual whose name was not associated with dishonesty, mistrust, envy, and the like. She was born under the presidency of Truman and died under the presidency of Barack Obama, who once uttered these words: If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. Nellie Mae has walked the right path. She has not wavered. Her course has been steady, and she has finally made progress. She will be missed on earth, but heaven awaits. We love you, Nellie Mae.
Preceding her in death includes her parents, Wallace and Alice Jones; five brothers and three sisters; George Jones, Amos Jones, Houston Jones, Ollie Jones, James Jones, Essie Mae Jones, Beatrice Jones, and Lucille Fitts.
Nellie Mae is survived by her loving husband Mr. Anthony Walker; sons Garrett and Eric; daughter Erica; granddaughters Iman and London; ‘adopted’ grandchildren Mia and William, all of Cincinnati, Ohio; Brothers Samuel Jones, New Orleans, LA, and Peter (Yvonne) Jones, Las Vegas, NV; sister Susie (Dr. Charles) Smith, Augusta, Georgia, devoted brother and sister-in-law’s Ronald Walker, Starkie Walker, Dorothy (James) Brown, Melvin (Suzanne) Goosby, Claron Lawrence, Linda Goosby, all of Cincinnati, and a host of other nieces, nephews, in-laws, relatives and friends.
Family Placed Obituary
Nellie Mae Walker, daughter of the late Wallace and Alice (Harmon) Jones, transitioned peacefully to God’s Heavenly home on Friday, January 6, 2017 at her residence in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Nellie Mae, as she was sometimes called, hailed from a small country town in Alabama known as Demopolis. She was baptized at an early age, far from the pristine baptismal pools of today. Her baptism was not much different from that of the Apostles. With cows peacefully chewing their cud nearby, a somewhat frightened Nellie Mae was symbolically dunked in the muddy, murky waters of a pond. This purification was the beginning of a faith-filled, God-fearing relationship that no amount of worldly temptations could ever unhinge. And she proved her commitment by walking along the dusty back roads with cars kicking the rich, red soil into her face. Her destination: Hopewell Baptist Church and its revival meetings. She’d often meet up with the Johnson family whom she adored immensely. They would remain close friends and allies for the rest of their lives. When visiting the South, Nellie Mae always tried to stop by Hopewell and the Pettus Street A.O.H. Holiness Church pastored by her nephew, Overseer Milton Jones.
Demopolis was a landscape dotted with ant hills and humble homes, some held up only by love and a few cinder blocks. Ask just about any Northerner, and chances are they’ve never heard of it. Jim Crow heard of it, however, and it was this hateful set of laws that kept races from intermingling, kept facilities separate, but not always equal. “We had water fountains for blacks and water fountains for whites,” Nellie Mae had once remarked. So, when Martin Luther King strolled into town, Nellie Mae and many of her classmates promptly left school without permission to join the throngs of people marching with him.
In Demopolis, under the watchful glare of Jim Crow, Nellie Mae spent hours in the fields, hunched over like a question mark, picking cotton and pecans, anything to have a few coins jangling in her pocket. Later in life she would tell her children that if you “earn a dime, save a nickel.” This thrifty mindset allowed her to eventually travel to Ohio, following her big sister Beatrice.
Once in the North, Nellie Mae settled on a job at Frisch’s, where she met a wiry cook named Anthony Walker. As the story goes, Nellie cut her finger slicing tomatoes, and Anthony lent his assistance. “Dr. Anthony” must’ve done a good job because the two eventually married and bore three children together: Garrett, Eric, and Erica. Nellie often times shuttled her family down South to the small town of her upbringing. She loved her kinfolks, and wearing her infectious smile, she’d waltz through the door of a sister or brother to a raucous chorus of hootin’ and hollerin.’ Their love for each other was, and still is, unrivaled, unmatched, and unstoppable.
In 1978, the young family emigrated from their cramped apartment in Bond Hill to a modest ranch-style house in the community of Seven Hills. It was around this time that Nellie Mae met and became infatuated with the second love of her life: the Tryed Stone Missionary Baptist Church. Nellie Mae, strong in her faith, modeled for her young sons the importance of joining this new family and becoming believers. Each Sunday (and sometimes during the week), she dragged her children to church, immune to their protests, tears, and sour faces. She tithed each week without fail and encouraged her children to do so also. Even as cancer had its ugly grip on Nellie Mae, preventing her from leaving the house, she requested that her tithes be paid. She gave her heart to Anthony but gave her soul to the Lord.
Church and family were only two important facets of Nellie Mae; getting an education was the other. Nellie Mae enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. To help pay for school, she secured a job working in daycare at Rescue Temple. It was here that she met lifelong friend Gloria who remained at her bedside when the Lord finally decided to call her home. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, she began a long and fruitful tenure at Mt. Healthy City Schools. But Nellie Mae was not one to let moss grow under her feet; she next acquired her Master’s degree from the College of Mount St. Joe, one of her proudest moments. Education in hand, she set out to be the fresh air missing in a stagnant educational world. In her thirty years of education, she’s taught and affected the lives of hundreds of students.
Nellie was active in her church and generously supported Tryed Stone New Beginning Church, Pettus Street A.O.H Holiness Church and Hopewell Baptist Church in Demopolis, Alabama. Nellie Mae believed in civil rights and was a financial member of the NAACP.
As a mother and grandmother, Nellie Mae was proud and loving. With her kids, she never hesitated to ride “The Beast” at Kings Island Amusement Park or jump in a footrace with some of the neighborhood boys. With those legs pumping like pistons, Nellie Mae became one of the fleetest “kids” on the block. Even while debilitated by cancer and in pain, when the doctors stopped in her hospital room, she didn’t hesitate to inform them that her son had run in the Boston marathon. She gleefully attended Grandparents’ Day at schools, even for children who were not biologically linked to her. She provided clothing and money when necessary, but more importantly, she exuded love, patience, unselfishness, warmth, wisdom, and understanding. Her arms and her home were open to people of all races and backgrounds. As a wife, she was caring, dutiful, and patient. She cracked a whip when needed, but kept love and loyalty at the forefront. She is missed every second of the day.
‘Eulogy’ comes from the Greek word ‘eulogia,’ meaning praise, and that’s all people have for Nellie Mae. They recognize that she was a unique individual whose name was not associated with dishonesty, mistrust, envy, and the like. She was born under the presidency of Truman and died under the presidency of Barack Obama, who once uttered these words: If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. Nellie Mae has walked the right path. She has not wavered. Her course has been steady, and she has finally made progress. She will be missed on earth, but heaven awaits. We love you, Nellie Mae.
Preceding her in death includes her parents, Wallace and Alice Jones; five brothers and three sisters; George Jones, Amos Jones, Houston Jones, Ollie Jones, James Jones, Essie Mae Jones, Beatrice Jones, and Lucille Fitts.
Nellie Mae is survived by her loving husband Mr. Anthony Walker; sons Garrett and Eric; daughter Erica; granddaughters Iman and London; ‘adopted’ grandchildren Mia and William, all of Cincinnati, Ohio; Brothers Samuel Jones, New Orleans, LA, and Peter (Yvonne) Jones, Las Vegas, NV; sister Susie (Dr. Charles) Smith, Augusta, Georgia, devoted brother and sister-in-law’s Ronald Walker, Starkie Walker, Dorothy (James) Brown, Melvin (Suzanne) Goosby, Claron Lawrence, Linda Goosby, all of Cincinnati, and a host of other nieces, nephews, in-laws, relatives and friends.
Family Placed Obituary
Nellie Mae, as she was sometimes called, hailed from a small country town in Alabama known as Demopolis. She was baptized at an early age, far from the pristine baptismal pools of today. Her baptism was not much different from that of the Apostles. With cows peacefully chewing their cud nearby, a somewhat frightened Nellie Mae was symbolically dunked in the muddy, murky waters of a pond. This purification was the beginning of a faith-filled, God-fearing relationship that no amount of worldly temptations could ever unhinge. And she proved her commitment by walking along the dusty back roads with cars kicking the rich, red soil into her face. Her destination: Hopewell Baptist Church and its revival meetings. She’d often meet up with the Johnson family whom she adored immensely. They would remain close friends and allies for the rest of their lives. When visiting the South, Nellie Mae always tried to stop by Hopewell and the Pettus Street A.O.H. Holiness Church pastored by her nephew, Overseer Milton Jones.
Demopolis was a landscape dotted with ant hills and humble homes, some held up only by love and a few cinder blocks. Ask just about any Northerner, and chances are they’ve never heard of it. Jim Crow heard of it, however, and it was this hateful set of laws that kept races from intermingling, kept facilities separate, but not always equal. “We had water fountains for blacks and water fountains for whites,” Nellie Mae had once remarked. So, when Martin Luther King strolled into town, Nellie Mae and many of her classmates promptly left school without permission to join the throngs of people marching with him.
In Demopolis, under the watchful glare of Jim Crow, Nellie Mae spent hours in the fields, hunched over like a question mark, picking cotton and pecans, anything to have a few coins jangling in her pocket. Later in life she would tell her children that if you “earn a dime, save a nickel.” This thrifty mindset allowed her to eventually travel to Ohio, following her big sister Beatrice.
Once in the North, Nellie Mae settled on a job at Frisch’s, where she met a wiry cook named Anthony Walker. As the story goes, Nellie cut her finger slicing tomatoes, and Anthony lent his assistance. “Dr. Anthony” must’ve done a good job because the two eventually married and bore three children together: Garrett, Eric, and Erica. Nellie often times shuttled her family down South to the small town of her upbringing. She loved her kinfolks, and wearing her infectious smile, she’d waltz through the door of a sister or brother to a raucous chorus of hootin’ and hollerin.’ Their love for each other was, and still is, unrivaled, unmatched, and unstoppable.
In 1978, the young family emigrated from their cramped apartment in Bond Hill to a modest ranch-style house in the community of Seven Hills. It was around this time that Nellie Mae met and became infatuated with the second love of her life: the Tryed Stone Missionary Baptist Church. Nellie Mae, strong in her faith, modeled for her young sons the importance of joining this new family and becoming believers. Each Sunday (and sometimes during the week), she dragged her children to church, immune to their protests, tears, and sour faces. She tithed each week without fail and encouraged her children to do so also. Even as cancer had its ugly grip on Nellie Mae, preventing her from leaving the house, she requested that her tithes be paid. She gave her heart to Anthony but gave her soul to the Lord.
Church and family were only two important facets of Nellie Mae; getting an education was the other. Nellie Mae enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. To help pay for school, she secured a job working in daycare at Rescue Temple. It was here that she met lifelong friend Gloria who remained at her bedside when the Lord finally decided to call her home. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, she began a long and fruitful tenure at Mt. Healthy City Schools. But Nellie Mae was not one to let moss grow under her feet; she next acquired her Master’s degree from the College of Mount St. Joe, one of her proudest moments. Education in hand, she set out to be the fresh air missing in a stagnant educational world. In her thirty years of education, she’s taught and affected the lives of hundreds of students.
Nellie was active in her church and generously supported Tryed Stone New Beginning Church, Pettus Street A.O.H Holiness Church and Hopewell Baptist Church in Demopolis, Alabama. Nellie Mae believed in civil rights and was a financial member of the NAACP.
As a mother and grandmother, Nellie Mae was proud and loving. With her kids, she never hesitated to ride “The Beast” at Kings Island Amusement Park or jump in a footrace with some of the neighborhood boys. With those legs pumping like pistons, Nellie Mae became one of the fleetest “kids” on the block. Even while debilitated by cancer and in pain, when the doctors stopped in her hospital room, she didn’t hesitate to inform them that her son had run in the Boston marathon. She gleefully attended Grandparents’ Day at schools, even for children who were not biologically linked to her. She provided clothing and money when necessary, but more importantly, she exuded love, patience, unselfishness, warmth, wisdom, and understanding. Her arms and her home were open to people of all races and backgrounds. As a wife, she was caring, dutiful, and patient. She cracked a whip when needed, but kept love and loyalty at the forefront. She is missed every second of the day.
‘Eulogy’ comes from the Greek word ‘eulogia,’ meaning praise, and that’s all people have for Nellie Mae. They recognize that she was a unique individual whose name was not associated with dishonesty, mistrust, envy, and the like. She was born under the presidency of Truman and died under the presidency of Barack Obama, who once uttered these words: If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. Nellie Mae has walked the right path. She has not wavered. Her course has been steady, and she has finally made progress. She will be missed on earth, but heaven awaits. We love you, Nellie Mae.
Preceding her in death includes her parents, Wallace and Alice Jones; five brothers and three sisters; George Jones, Amos Jones, Houston Jones, Ollie Jones, James Jones, Essie Mae Jones, Beatrice Jones, and Lucille Fitts.
Nellie Mae is survived by her loving husband Mr. Anthony Walker; sons Garrett and Eric; daughter Erica; granddaughters Iman and London; ‘adopted’ grandchildren Mia and William, all of Cincinnati, Ohio; Brothers Samuel Jones, New Orleans, LA, and Peter (Yvonne) Jones, Las Vegas, NV; sister Susie (Dr. Charles) Smith, Augusta, Georgia, devoted brother and sister-in-law’s Ronald Walker, Starkie Walker, Dorothy (James) Brown, Melvin (Suzanne) Goosby, Claron Lawrence, Linda Goosby, all of Cincinnati, and a host of other nieces, nephews, in-laws, relatives and friends.
Family Placed Obituary
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