Nina Marie Jones

It is with great sadness to announce that Nina Marie Jones, age 63, passed away at home surrounded by family on Tuesday, June 12th, 2018. Born to Mr. George Rufus and Leoma (Williams) Jones in Paris, Arkansas, she was the 12th of 13 children. As a child, she accepted Christ in the Gray Rock Church of Christ. Since she was raised on a farm, she and her brothers and sisters were taught the importance of education through hard labor, like picking cotton. Her family became the first African-Americans to integrate the Paris School System in the 1960's, and she would continue her study until she obtained both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in education from Arkansas Tech University. She loved teaching and let her light shine in doing so in the Paris School System for 24 years. After retiring, she relocated to Little Rock, where she was blessed to continue to teach and care for her grandchildren and the Nursery-aged children at First Baptist Church Highland Park in Little Rock—in which she was a member. Described by her grandchildren as "awesome, sweet, kind, and beautiful," she "always had ice cream," and "really meant business when my brother and I would fight." They were the joy of her life. She was preceded in death by her parents; her siblings, Mary Stewart, Rose Ann Wood, Edith Watson, James Robert Jones, Kenneth Jones, Henry Jones, and Donald Jones. Her light lives on through her family—daughter, Dr. Karla Montgomery and husband Will; her grandchildren, Joshua and Jonathan; her siblings, Debbie (Festus) Ugbade (Hot Springs, Ark.), Linda (Earl) May (Clarksville, Ark.), Mary Droughter Jones (Little Rock, Ark.), Sue Bruce, Rufus Eugene Jones, and William Jones of Tacoma, Washington and a host of nieces, nephews and friends. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 16th, 2018 at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church Highland Park, 3800 W. 18th Street, Little Rock, Ark. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Burial will occur at 3 pm at Gray Rock Cemetery in Paris, Arkansas. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Baptist Church Highland Park Children's Ministry. Online guestbook: www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.