Obituary of Deloris Jones-Yates

Deloris, otherwise known as Dee, Mimi. Lorsie, Red, Deloris Ann, and Mom – put on her dancing shoes and waltzed into heaven on April 7. She was 78 years young. She was born March 1, 1939 in Fort Worth, TX, the daughter of G.B. Jones (a preacher man) and Dessie Mae Jones (a saint). A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday April 23 at 4:00 p.m. at 5952 River Bend Drive, Fort Worth. Growing up, Deloris was raised in a strict home bookended by two roughhousing brothers. She often told how she would sneak out to her friend’s house to put on makeup or jewelry. Maybe that’s how she grew into the elegant woman she was. Dee loved anything gilded or glittery, sequined or sparkly. She had a fondness for flowing caftans and wildly expensive shoes, and wore her diamonds 24/7 until arthritis got the best of her hands. She had a brief stint in the dress shop business, where she realized it was more fun to dress up in beautiful things than it was to inventory and sell them. Dee loved to travel, and did so across the world with her late husband, Jim. From Viet Nam to the Smoky Mountains, they sailed and drove and jetted to places from exotic to homespun, bringing back treasures from each place that still adorn her well-appointed home. That was another talent of Dee’s. When her kids were teens she taught herself how to arrange flowers and she became an interior decorator. Just like that. She was the woman who had custom-made silk bedspreads (on which no one was allowed to sit), who lit candles at dinner on a Tuesday night, who actually used her sterling silver, and who had the most envious holiday decorations of any front porch in the neighborhood. She loved to cook, and did so with painstaking attention to detail. Her children’s friends would show up in her kitchen after school, because hers was the counter on which they would always find a freshly-baked strawberry cake or homemade toffee. Dee loved dancing, reading the paper every morning, fresh flowers, a good French Bordeaux, laughter, and liver and onions. She was stubborn, adventuresome and tough as nails (even at 5’1” she intimidated the best of us). She taught us to always paint our toenails, to not be afraid to use the good crystal, to not leave the house without makeup on, to yell really loud for the Cowboys and how to harmonize in the kitchen to make the chore of dishwashing go by quicker. She is preceded to heaven by her husband Jim, her mother Dessie Mae, father George and brother Gene. She is survived by her brother Ray and her three children, Renee, Greg and Rachael, nine grandchildren (all of whom inherited her extraordinary beauty) and her sweet puppy Gracie. She suffered greatly from a variety of physical pains, but managed to muscle through and fought fiercely to not ever give up the things she loved the most. Her loved ones are happy that she is out of pain and no doubt wearing out the dance floor of heaven and beating the angels at Gin Rummy.