Elizabeth “Beth” Wallis Jones

Elizabeth Wallis Jones of Humboldt, Tenn. died peacefully, surrounded by her family at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on March 4, 2024.

Ms. Jones was preceded in death by her parents, William Ralph and Bettie Jean Jones; her sisters, Jeanne Walton Jones Little and Barbara Clayton Jones Thomas; and her beloved first grandchild, Jack Hale Hayes.

She is survived by her brother, William Ralph Jones III (Camille); her children, John Charles Hale Jr. (Elisabeth), Josie Hale Nielson (Andrew) and Liza Jones Bennett (Chaelon); her grandchildren, Frieda Jones Kromer-Bennett, Andrew Barrick Nielson Jr., Augustus Graves Nielson and baby Hale (July 2024); along with cherished nieces, nephews and friends.

Ms. Jones stormed into the lives of Ralph and Bettie Jean Jones on March 26, 1954 forever altering not only their corner of Honeysuckle Lane, but all who had the privilege of calling her mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend. She loved tearing up the streets of Humboldt in her sister’s car, affectionately known as “Tank” or on the back of her brother’s horse, Lady, and cheering for her Rams/Vikings alongside her Class of ‘72. Ms. Jones relished in her home being “the center of the universe” for her siblings and their friends. But surely, one of her favorite memories is the laughter that began there and continued for decades until the very end with her dearest friend, Mary Key Roe.

She loved adventure, big and small, and good luck talking her out of a good time. Ms. Jones danced countless nights on the shores of her treasured Folly Beach. She swam in the spray of waterfalls while volunteering as nurse in Zambia and Zimbabwe, howled at the moon in the mountains of Montana and clinked more than a glass or two in the City that Never Sleeps. By her own declaration, she skipped to the beat of her own drum.

While many knew her as the life of the party, fewer knew her more gentler talents. One would be hard-pressed to find another so generous of resource or spirit. If you have been privileged to meet these gifts you know they are boundless. She radiated this brilliant capacity while serving as a hospice nurse, her proudest career accomplishment.

In her last days, Ms. Jones told all who would listen, “I know Whose I am and where I’m going”. It was not fear she felt, but joy, curiosity, awe, courage and unwavering faith. These were the gifts she left her family and the legacy that lives on through those she loved. In addition to this bounty of blessings, she insisted her body be donated to those who could use it for good. Vanderbilt University Medical Center informed the family this last humble offering will save innumerable lives.

Ms. Jones was fierce, wild, passionate and relentless. Her presence was powerful and her absence is profound.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to The Boys and Girls Club of Humboldt, TN (https://www.myboysgirls.club/donate.html) or Hospice of West Tennessee’s Hospice House, Jackson, TN. (https://www.wth.org/services/hospice/)

A gathering of friends and family to celebrate her life will take place on Friday, March 29 at Crown Winery from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.