Obituary of Lystra B. Williams Jones

Lystra Lallie Jones was born on March 11, 1937 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was the youngest of the five children of Joseph Leo Jones, Sr. and Grace S. Simmons. Born in the middle of the Great Depression, Lystra lived with her mother, siblings, grandmother and several Aunts and Uncles. She was tender-hearted in the midst of harsh circumstances and learned the value of family, focus, education and thrift. Lystra excelled in school, and received a dual BA in Music Education and Social Studies from Marshall University, Huntington, WV and an MA in Early Childhood Education from Jersey City State University, Jersey City NJ. Following in the footsteps of both sisters and one brother, Lystra pursued teaching as her initial profession. Her first position after college graduation, was as a teacher of Music and Social Studies at Carter G. Woodson High School in Dilwyn, VA. She played the clarinet and violin, and was a classically trained pianist and organist. From her youth through adulthood Lystra played for and directed numerous church choirs in New Orleans, Bronx, NY, Englewood, Jersey City, Paterson and Teaneck, NJ, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia and was a member of the American Guild of Organists. At the tender age of 19, Lystra married Lucious L. Barnes. Four years later they were blessed with their only daughter Lycia Yvette. The couple migrated from West Virginia to New York, where Lystra worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. She worked there for 10 years progressing from Toll Collector to Personnel Representative. In 1967 Lystra married Reverend Thomas Williams. To this union was born Elena Marie. Shortly thereafter, Lystra embraced her Grandniece, Trina Nakia Anderson to raise her as a daughter. Seeking greater work-life balance, Lystra left the Port Authority and assumed the directorship of the Salem Baptist Nursery in Jersey City, NJ. She was a faithful servant of the Salem Baptist Church Community for 20 years and orchestrated a fiscal turnaround for the previously insolvent pre-school enterprise. She received the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Award for these efforts. In 1993, Lystra joined the staff of the Leonard Johnson Day Nursery, affectionately known to area residents as "The Community House," and was immediately promoted to Director of Children's Services, Bergen Family Center. Known lovingly by her staff as "Miss Lystra," she was known for giving staff and parents her undivided and personal attention as they sat in "the black chair" in her office. For 21 years she listened to others' concerns, shared guidance, offered encouragement and helped in any tangible way possible. Lystra was instrumental in the attainment of National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA) for the Leonard Johnson Day Nursery by the National Accreditation Commission. NECPA accreditation is reserved for exceptional early childhood programs that substantially exceed minimum state licensing requirements. She was an active participant in several partnerships with corporate donors such as BMW, PNC Bank, the Liberty Science Center, Sotheby's and PSE&G, designed to leverage corporate resources in order to maximize the number of children exposed to the benefits of early childhood education. In recognition of her dedication and community service, she received a Joint Legislative Resolution by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey. On June 27, 1992, Lystra married the love of her life, Dennis R. Jones. His passing in 2004 left a wound that never completely healed. Lystra was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dennis, her parents, Joseph Leo Jones, Sr., and Grace Simmons Jones, brothers, Joseph "Leo" Jones, Jr., and Lloyd C. Jones and sister, Lorraine Caffrey. God safely took Lystra from this life to the next on Thursday, February 18, 2016. She is deeply missed by her daughters: Lycia Taylor and Elena Williams; Son-in-law: Reverend Howard Adrian Taylor; Granddaughters: Ashley Sherrill, Kristen Butler and Leilah Blain; Grandson-in law: Samuel Sherrill; Great-Grandchildren: Joshua Adrian Sherrill and Faith Lycia Sherrill; Sister: Lolita Douglas; Sister-in-law: Harriet Jones; Grand Niece: Trina Anderson; a host of Nieces, Nephews and extended family, Special Friends from the Bergen Family Center: Dolca Cuevas, Edna Salcedo, Annie and Yvette Jamison, Aliya Norris, Harold and Mary Pinkney, Robin Gibbs, Karen Lurie and Davia Valenzuela, and assorted friends, staff and choir members.