Shirley Ann Jones

Shirley Ann Googe Jones of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her daughters, on Sunday, June 2, 2024, at the age of 99. She is survived by her daughters Elaine Smith, Amy Jones, and Bonnie Kallenberg, and 21 grand and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her sister, Jean Schlund, husband, Louis H. Jones (Casey), son, Danny Jones, and great granddaughter, Glenn Dover.
Shirley met her husband of 74 years at the Plaza Drugstore Soda Fountain on Ponce de Leon Avenue while he was stationed at the Naval Air Station in Chamblee. They married before he was shipped overseas, and Shirley finished her senior year and graduated from Girls High School in 1943. When Casey returned from WWII, they raised a family of four together with Shirley as a dedicated homemaker. They formed close bonds with other families living in Candler Park, resulting in life-long friendships.
Shirley enjoyed card games, whether it was playing bridge with her friends at East Lake Country Club, or Old Maid with younger family members at their home of almost fifty years in Druid Hills. For decades she met a group of friends weekly at NE Plaza Bowling lanes, where she relished the camaraderie, conversation, and competition. She was an avid reader who frequented the public library and was quick to close a poorly written book. She treasured her travels to Europe, especially England, and loved visiting cathedrals, ancient cities, and Stonehenge.
Friendships were very important in all seasons of Shirley’s life, and she never missed an opportunity to spend time with a friend. In her final residence at Cobblestone in Park Springs, she reconnected with Elizabeth Carter, a high school chum she had written with on the school paper, who lived across the hall. This enduring friendship was the subject of a feature article in the Atlanta Journal & Constitution in 2021.
A loving wife, mother, sister, daughter, and friend, Shirley will be deeply missed by all who knew her. A memorial service will be planned for a later date, and she will be interred with her husband at the Georgia Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Milledgeville, Georgia.
Shirley was such a wonderful lady and a very special friend to my mother, Terry Lewallen.. They shared many years of joy, laughter and friendship. Although I was too young to remember the beginning of their friendship when they lived next door to each other, I have listened to their stories over the years about the adventures they had. Circumstances separated them for many years, but when they reconnected they always seemed to have so much fun together, especially going out to eat and to the movies. I remember Mom complaining that Shirley liked to have lunch at the Kroger deli and Mom wanted to go to a “real restaurant. But it didn’t really matter because they just enjoyed spending time together. The two of them could spend hours on the phone several times a week. They always had something to talk about, even if they had just spend the day together! I’m sure Mom was waiting for Shirley with open arms, ready to catch up with their lives. Please know that Shirley lives on in the hearts and memories of so many others.