Benita Ellen Sherrell Jones, age 86, was born in St. Louis, March 1, 1937, the daughter of William Lawrence Sherrell and Lenora Jessie Mann Sherrell. After a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s, Benita passed away Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, at Maries Manor Nursing Home in Vienna.
Benita married Robert Ralph Jones on June 22, 1952, and they were the parents of five children. Three sons – Gerry Ralph Jones (Pat) and wife Lisa; Chesley Marvin Jones and fiancé, Donneta Kamler; and Mickey Howard Jones; all of Vienna. Two daughters – Constance Rhee Brown and husband Joe of Quebec, Canada; and Peggy Lynn Rowden and husband Donald of Dixon. After graduating high school in 1956 from Maries R-1 School in Vienna, Benita chased her dream of becoming a teacher. She studied at Lincoln University in Jefferson City; all the while raising her five small children. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and began her teaching career in 1962. She taught for 31 years in the Maries R-1 Public School System, retiring in 1993. However, her love of teaching did not end with retirement. For the next four years she served as a substitute teacher, then, in the fall of 1997, she accepted a full-time position teaching 5th and 6th grades at Visitation Catholic School in Vienna, where she taught for an additional three years. Then in her words she stated, “I felt I was worn out and needed a rest,” thus almost ending her almost 40-year teaching career, even though she began substitute teaching again. Despite the end of her life-long career, Benita continued teaching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren every time they stopped in for a visit. The kitchen table was always the first stop when grandchildren came by. They could hardly wait to see what new things grandma had for them to do or a game to play. Benita’s pride was not just in her own children, but in her school and her students, and she shared her passion for learning with hundreds of children over the years. Benita was a wonderful mother who was always there when someone needed her. She also had many friends and was a well-loved and respected member of the community in Vienna. She was a member of American Legion Post 12 Ladies Auxiliary and The Maries County Historical Society. Benita had a love of sewing, crocheting and growing flowers. She sewed clothes for her children and grandchildren and eventually she started making quilts, becoming known for her beautifully patterned “tree quilts.” Her hands were rarely still. Benita also had a love for reading, her Bible always nearby. Her life was a living example of her favorite Bible verse, Ephesians 4:32 — “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
Family members preceding Benita in death include her husband, Robert Ralph Jones, March 3, 2011; father, William Lawrence Sherrell, Dec. 1, 1971; mother, Lenora Jessie Mann Sherrell, June 17, 2002; brother, Stephen Marvin Sherrell, Feb. 6, 1955; sister, Georgia Ann Hamm, Sept. 1, 1988; brother, William Douglas Sherrell, July 19, 2013; sister-in-law Betty Joe Sherrell, Dec. 6, 2021; and one son, Mickey Howard Jones, Feb. 27, 2023.
Benita is survived by her sons, Gerry Ralph (Pat) Jones and his wife Lisa, and Chesley Marvin Jones and fiancé Donneta Kamler all of Vienna; her daughters Constance Rhee Brown and husband Joe of Quebec, Canada, and Peggy Lynn Rowden and husband Donald of Dixon; 17 grandchildren – Jamie Jones (Sarah), Jay Jones (Emily), Jesse Jones, Joe Breeding (Shelly), Justin Roberson (Jennifer), Jason Roberson, Ashley Jones (Kelly), all of Vienna; John Brown II of Rolla; Tyler Jones (Shelby) of Vichy; Rebecca Massman (Mark) of Columbus, Neb.; Laura Alderson (Joe) of Linn; William Rowden (Angela) of Dixon; Justin Jones (Amanda) of St. Louis; John Jones and Joseph Jones of Jefferson City; Jacob Jones of Meta; Bryon Helton (Emily) of Westphalia; 35 great-grandchildren – Clara Jones, Luke Jones, Jada Jones, Brett Welschmeyer, Aspen Gorman, Jaxon Gorman, Sadie Gorman, Nora Stratman, Maddie Jones, Camden Jones, Dawson Jones, Scarlett Jones, Joseph Massman, Sarah Massman, Anna Massman, Nathaniel Massman, Jacob Voss, Jackson Voss, Nora Alderson, Jasper Alderson, Nicole Rowden, Sadie Rowden, Luke Rowden, Haylley Roark (Drew), Chance Roberson, Emma Roberson, Maddie Breeding, Taylor Breeding, Austin Jones, Sophia Jones, Avery Jones, Payton Jones, Faith Jones, Brendon Helton, Kayla Helton; five great-great-grandchildren, Opie Roark, Piney Roark, Ruthie Roark, Daxton Breeding and Colson Breeding; and one brother, Bob Sherrell and wife Pauline of Decatur, Texas.
Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life service scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, at the Vienna Baptist Church in Vienna. Visitation is from 10–11 a.m., the service at 11 a.m., followed by interment at the Vienna Public Cemetery. A meal at the Vienna Baptist Church will follow and all are invited to join.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Vienna Cemetery Perpetual Care Fund or the Maries County Historical Society.
All arrangements are under the direction of the Null and Son Funeral Home of Rolla.
