Leona A. Jones

Leona A. Jones was a soft-spirited matriarch who loved spending time with God and her family. She began her life in the small town of Nicodemus, Kansas on Sunday, October 21, 1923 to Lucinda and Jacob Coleman. She was Lucinda’s first daughter and the eldest of Jacob’s children.

Leona grew up in a stern household where education was her father's top priority. Being the oldest child of her parents, she made it a point to lead by example and excelled in her schoolwork. During a time when it was not popular to be an intelligent young black female, she had the strength to overcome the many challenges that were unfairly thrown her way. Her boldness to live her life to the fullest and having the strong will to not let racial barriers stop her dreams, she enrolled in and was accepted into Brown Mackie School of Business in 1942. After graduating, she was recruited to work at the Pentagon and moved to Washington DC where she lived in an all-female dormitory. Leona would often attend social events with friends where she met McDavies Harrison, who she married from 1947 to 1960. They had five children -- Earlene, Darlene, McDavies Jr, Alberta, and Clinton.

Leona moved to Great Bend, Kansas in 1959 where her infectious charm made her popular in the community. Soon after, she caught the attention of Donald Jones and married her life-long soulmate in 1962, until his death in 2009; they had three children -- Sandra, and the twins Dennis and Darrell. New careers brought the family to Albuquerque in 1968 where she became a Certified Nurse’s Assistant working at Bernalillo County Medical Center - BCMC (currently UNM Hospital) and eventually working for and retiring from Kirtland Air Force Base as a Surgery Clinics appointment secretary receiving a Letter of Commendation for an outstanding job in the summer of ‘79. She was always the welcoming host and never turned down the opportunity to feed a visiting church family. During these years, she was an avid member and head usher at Mt. Zion Baptist Church and later was considered “Mother of the Church” at New Life Tabernacle. She was a zealous baker who insisted on providing each of her children with a personalized birthday cake on their special day every year. She had an ear for music and was so talented that she could hear a tune and then play it on the piano without ever having any formal training, she was always there when called upon and would fill in playing when needed at church services.

At the age of 87, she moved in with her daughter Darlene in Amarillo, Texas. She lived the remainder of her life in comfort, with family around her, to the blessed age of 96 years. She leaves a cherished legacy as a steadfast woman of God who valued education, supported her family with love and held a dignity for life that only truly blessed people encompass. She will forever be missed.


She was preceded in death by her parents; siblings, Sterling, Virgil, Kenny, Lafayette, Florence, Jacob Jr, Mary Ann;  and husband Donald Jones. She is survived by her eight children, Earlene, Darlene, McDavies Jr, Alberta, Clinton, Sandra, Darrell and Dennis; 14 grandchildren, Leona Kezia, Eulrey, Oni, Nicole, Jay, Makeda, Thakia, Lucinda, Amanda, Malaika, Isaiah, Zaryah, Denae, and Demarco; and 18 great-grandchildren, Darwin, Samona, Deja, Delantay, Micahel, Angelo, Emon, Larry, Briah, Vonyea, Breanna, Zuriah, Auriah, Jayden, Arielle, Liam, Logan, and Londyn.