Polly Sheppard Jones passed away at Brighton Gardens in Raleigh, NC  on May 16, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Washington, NC on September 24, 1931 to parents A. E. and Evelyn Sheppard. She was raised in Washington and graduated from Washington High School in 1949, later attending Pfeiffer College.

She is survived by her children, Jerri (Larry) Meisner of Raleigh, NC, Nat Jones, Jr. (Brenda) of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and April (Mike) Havlin of Fountain Inn, SC. Grandchildren include Sarah Jones (Jed) of Huntsville, TX,  Aaron Jones (Angela) of Spring, TX, Jeremy Havlin (Jessica) of Fountain Inn, SC, Matthew Jones (Pachi) of Spring, TX, Rebecca Bales-Fisher of Spring, TX, Michael Meisner (Grace) of Apex, NC, David Meisner (Elizabeth) of Raleigh, NC, Daniel Jones (Stephanie) of Tucson, AZ, Hope Havlin of Fountain Inn, SC, and Emily Jones of Spring, TX. There are 15 great-grandchildren.

Polly was predeceased by her parents and brother, husbands Nat Jones, Bob Williamson, and Clarence Williams. She met Nat Jones as a freshman at Pfeiffer College and they eloped at Christmas. After 20 years and three children, they divorced. They remarried in 2008 and had happy times until his death.

Polly was born Alice Tallulah Sheppard. She was called by the nickname, little Tal, which she hated. So, when she went to dance school for the first time, she renamed herself after the Polly Parrot shoes that she was wearing. She was known as Polly ever since.

Polly was an astute but kind businesswoman. She was co-owner of Ace Realty in Virginia Beach where she was broker and later was branch manager for many years of Life and Casualty insurance company in Washington, NC. She was active in BPW during her professional years.

Polly always loved being on water and as a young mother she enjoyed spending time with her family at Pamlico Beach and Morehead. She served as Girl Scout Leader and later in life she participated in the Red Hat Club of Washington, N.C.

Polly, as well as her parents and grandparents, was a lifelong member of First Methodist Church on Second Street. She was active with her Emmaus Group, Sunday School class and her Circle of First Methodist Church. All of Polly’s extended family of Proctors, Bakers, and Sheppards have deep roots in Eastern NC.

She was a loyal friend, sweet-spirited and funny.  She loved shopping and was generous with the great bargains she found. She was a terrific grandmother and all 10 grandchildren loved to go to “Camp Granny.” She listened without judgment and supported them through growing pains in their lives and opened her home when needed.

For the last 2 years, Polly lived in the Reminiscence Neighborhood of Brighton Gardens in Raleigh, NC. She was loved by friends and staff. She particularly enjoyed the music and dancing and was known to sing the loudest.

Her sense of humor and love of music stayed with her to the end.

Those interested in making a donation in Polly’s memory can give to First United Methodist Church in Washington, North Carolina (https://fmcwashington.com/) or House of Hope International (https://www.houseofhopeinternational.com/give-2).