Mary Miles Jones, a long-time resident of Yazoo City and one of the town’s most avid supporters passed away peacefully on Friday, March 3, 2017 at the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson.
Mrs. Jones was born Mary Edna Miles on November 24, 1924 in Eupora to Noel Lamar and Thomas Grantham Miles. Her family lived in several places across northern Mississippi during her childhood and she graduated from high school in Clarksdale. After that, she moved with her parents to Jackson. She met Wilson Jones at a baseball game in Jackson and they were married on October 16, 1948.
An opportunity to purchase a printing and office supply business in Yazoo City presented itself in 1953, and Mary’s father (Miles), a life-long printer, and her husband (Jones) a businessman, formed a partnership and purchased the business. They named it Mijo Lithographing Company, and the families moved to Yazoo City. Mrs. Jones worked for Southland Oil Company initially, but she soon joined the printing business as graphic designer and typesetter, among other jobs.
Around 1980, in an effort to promote Mijo’s, Mrs. Jones began the publication of The Main Street Stationer, a monthly newsletter sent to their customers. Rather than just being an advertisement for the printing business, Mrs. Jones used this forum to promote all of the good in Yazoo City. She did her best to encourage downtown businesses, promote “Shop Yazoo First”, and encourage tourism. Promoting Yazoo City was her passion, and she continued publication of The Main Street Stationer to that end, long after the newsletter had ceased its ability to generate revenue for the print shop.
Mrs. Jones’ interest in promoting Yazoo City did not stop with her newsletter. She was a co-creator of The Chronicles of Yazoo, a musical history of her beloved town that was performed for several years. She was a founding member of Discover Yazoo and worked with those preserving the Main Street School and forming the Triangle Cultural Center. For many years she was chairman of the Gateway to the Delta Arts & Crafts Festival. She was also active in the Yazoo County Chamber of Commerce, Yazoo Historical Society, Downtowners’ Association, Witch Way to Yazoo Festival, the Willie Morris Festival, the Oaks House Preservation Society and other activities that promoted Yazoo County and tourism to the area. She always wanted to be the best cheerleader for anyone doing anything to promote Yazoo City. She was recognized for her efforts by being given the Spirit of Yazoo Award by the Chamber of Commerce and was the Grand Marshall of the Christmas Parade that year.
She had other interests and was a faithful writer of Letters to the Editor. She was most proud when she had letters published in the Opinion Columns of the Yazoo Herald, the Clarion Ledger, the Commercial Appeal and the Christian Science Monitor, all in the same week!
Mrs. Jones, along with her husband, joined First Baptist Church when they first moved to Yazoo City and Mrs. Jones sang in the choir until her allergies and chemical sensitivities prohibited her from participating. She continued to “go to church” every Sunday by watching the broadcast on television. Other activities in which Mrs. Jones participated during her life include the JayCee’s, the Christian Service Center of First Baptist Church, and Eastern Star, where she achieved the title of Grand Matron. She edited a book of her great-grandfather’s Civil War letters, The Gentle Rebel.
She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Earl Wilson Jones; and her grandson, Thomas Burkett Jones. She is survived by her sister, Marthajo Miles Rademacher of West Chicago, Illinois; her daughter, Leslie Nolan (Mike) of Shreveport, La.; her son, Burke Jones of Yazoo City; granddaughters, Lauren Eckenrode (Tommy) of Lawrenceville, GA, Meredith Bruner (Karey) of Olathe, KS and Elizabeth Johnson (Adam) of Richmond Hill, GA; grandson, Wilson Miles Jones of Jackson, MS; step-granddaughter, Maggie Rider (Jeremy) of El Paso, TX; and two great-grandchildren.
A Memorial Service will be at the Triangle Cultural Center in Yazoo City on Friday, March 10, 2017 at 2 p.m. Graveside services for the family will follow at Glenwood Cemetery under the direction of Stricklin-King Funeral Home. Memorials may be made to the Triangle Cultural Center, First Baptist Church, the American Diabetes Association, or a charity of your choice.
