Sylvia Ann Jones

In Loving Memory of

Sylvia Ann Campbell Jones

God's hand was upon the life of Sylvia from the very beginning. He blessed her with a life marked by unwavering faith, selfless service, quiet strength, and unconditional love. Through every season of her life, Sylvia reflected the love of Christ in both her words and her actions. She was a devoted daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, educator, church leader, mentor, and friend whose life touched countless hearts. Her legacy is one of compassion, humility, and steadfast faith, a legacy that will continue to inspire generations to come.

Sylvia was born on February 20, 1938, in Cottonwood, Alabama, to Layura McGhee. She was lovingly raised by her grandparents, Mike Smith Sr. and Emma Smith, whose unwavering faith in God and strong Christian values helped shape the remarkable woman she would become. From them, Sylvia learned the importance of prayer, hard work, and treating everyone with respect. Some of Sylvia's best childhood memories were attending church and delivering babies with her grandmother throughout the South. Growing up in the South during a time of segregation and limited educational opportunities, Sylvia received her early education at home, and even as a young girl she developed a love for learning. At the age of seven, Sylvia made the most important decision she would ever make when she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized in a river in Alabama. That moment marked the beginning of a lifelong walk with Christ that became the foundation of everything she did.

As a young woman living in Alabama, Sylvia met Thomas Allen Campbell, and together they began a beautiful life founded on faith, commitment, and devotion. After four years, they were united in marriage, and to that union came twin boys, Eric Allen and Cedric Allen, who quickly became the greatest blessings of their lives. As the wife of a military man, Sylvia traveled the world with Thomas, and wherever they went she created a comfortable and loving home for her family. Eventually their journey brought them to Fort Ord, California, where they planted roots and began building a future for their family. Life changed drastically when Thomas died during his second tour in Vietnam. During this difficult season, Sylvia relied on her faith and courage to raise her two young sons alone, working full time to provide a stable, loving home. Yet no matter how busy life became, she never lost sight of what was important. Committed to lifelong learning, she pursued higher education, graduating from Chapman College with a degree in education and later earning her master's degree. Her passion for education led her to a distinguished 36-year career with the Monterey County Office of Education Head Start program, where she served as an educational program coordinator and director overseeing seven Head Start centers.

After making her home on the Monterey Peninsula, Sylvia united with Community Missionary Baptist Church, where she found not only a place of worship but a church family that would become an important part of her life. She became a faithful member during the church's early years, when services were held at the Grange Hall, and she followed the church to its present location in Pacific Grove, California, where she remained dedicated to answering God's call to serve. Throughout the years, she was blessed to worship and serve under the leadership of Pastor Slayd, Pastor Hooks, Pastor Murray, Pastor Hayes, and other interim pastors who encouraged her spiritual growth. For more than 30 years she served as an usher, and became president of the usher board for 10 years, leading with compassion, humility, and quiet strength. Her roles over the years included the I-HELP committee, Sunday school teacher, the scholarship committee, the Women's Mission Auxiliary, the culinary ministry, the VBS committee, trustee, and beloved mother of the church (she was everything but the pastor). During her years at Community, she met Paul Noble Jones, a kind, humble, and devoted man whose love for God showed in how he lived and served. They were united in marriage, and Paul treated her sons as his own, giving them everything they needed. They shared more than 20 loving years together, and after Paul's passing, Sylvia never remarried. After more than 50 years of service at Community, Sylvia joined New Hope Salinas under the leadership of Pastor Artis Smith, where she enjoyed attending services and listening to the choir and preaching.

While Sylvia's life was filled with many accomplishments, her greatest blessing was always her family. She treasured every moment spent with those she loved and believed that family was a blessing to be nurtured with love, faith, patience, and unwavering support. Sylvia was the proud grandmother of two and the loving great grandmother of eight, each holding a special place in her heart. Whether celebrating birthdays, attending church together, shopping, sharing meals, or simply spending time talking and laughing, she made every moment meaningful. One of the greatest joys of her later years was helping raise her great granddaughter, Alisa. Their bond was truly special, filled with unconditional love, patience, and countless treasured memories. Her love extended far beyond her immediate family. Sylvia was honored to serve as godmother to Jonquisha Damon, embracing that responsibility with the same love, care, and devotion she showed her own family, and what she did for Jonquisha, she did for all the Damon children. To Sylvia, family was never measured only by blood, but by the relationships God placed in her life. Those who knew Sylvia knew that her home was always filled with

warmth, laughter, and love. There was always room for another chair at the table, another meal to share, another story to tell, and another prayer to be offered. Although her faith and family were always her greatest priorities, she also embraced the simple joys that made life beautiful. She loved fishing, traveling on cruises with Mt. Nebo Church, playing bingo, trying her luck at the casino, and visiting Circus Circus each summer to meet new people and shop. Sylvia's joyful spirit was one of her greatest gifts. Her smile could brighten a room, her peaceful spirit brought comfort to those around her, and her gentle words had a way of lifting up heavy hearts. She will be missed dearly. One of Sylvia's favorite sayings was, “Everyone is born into this world, just like everyone is going to leave this world, but one thing is sure, I am ready whenever God calls me home.”

Sylvia was preceded in death by her beloved two husbands, Thomas Allen Campbell and Paul Noble Jones; her mother, Layura; her grandparents, Mike Smith and Emma Smith; one aunt; and other cherished family members and friends.

She leaves to cherish her memory her sons, Eric and Cedric; her beloved grandchildren, Sharon Campbell, Chaz Schultz, and Cynthia Reese; her great grandchildren, Cameron Schultz, La'Rae Schultz, Blakely Schultz, Tre Schultz, Marcel Schultz, Allen Hardy IV, and Jon Hardy; her goddaughter, Jonquisha Damon, along with the Damon children; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members, dear friends, church family, and all those whose lives were forever blessed by knowing her.