Mary A. Jones

Mary A. Jones, formerly of Conway, passed away on Thursday, October 31, 2024. 

Ms. Mary Abby Jones was born on March 7, I962 in Baltimore Maryland. She was regarded as a "gem" to her father Walter Jones and a fierce confidant to her mother Ida Louise Scott. She was very much wanted and treasured by all she encountered. Growing up, she ensured the well-being of all her beloved siblings: Tommy L. Washington, Cynthia J. Washington, Yvette D. Jones, DeeDee G. Jones, and David "Buddy" C. Montgomery. Being one of the first classes to integrate post-Brown vs Education, she was also the first in her family to graduate from Whittemore School / Whittemore High School (later named Conway High School) in 1981. This was one of the first schools in Horry County, SC for black students. Immediately after graduating high school, Mary Abby enlisted in the United States Navy in I98I and served diligently for 5-6 years until honorably discharged to start her family. It was there that she cultivated her persona as a resourceful, IT-savvy, maverick, go-getter. The U.S. Navy is where she would later meet her former fiance and children's father, Joseph Thomas Robinson II. Additionally, during her tenure in the U.S. Navy, she curated an illustriously bright career as a top in her field for telecommunications and submarine systems. Just a little under a year, in I982, she graduated as an Honor Student in the U.S. Navy "A" Telecommunication School. In I985, Mary Abby was awarded Sailor of the Quarter on the Ship in the Telecommunication Department. In I986, she was designated as the first female from the Telecommunication Department for Sailor of a U.S. Navy Ship. When Mary Abby left the military, she diligently dove into the emerging information technology field, being considered a subject matter expert

on such platforms as Citrix virtual desktop software, Linux operating system, network operations, and system administration/engineering. Her list of post-Navy awards are as follows: I988-I990 Promoted to

Team Leader for Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Military Network Operations Center for exceptional customer services, I994-I996 Consistently honored with advance cycle pay awards for outstanding performance, I998 Honored as Team Leader for the Pentagon NOC for achieving 92% trouble tickets resolutions, I999 Recognized for Agency Service Star Honor for notable commitment to customers in Pentagon, 2000 Award the Top Gun from the company for Pentagon for Y2K readiness, 2005 Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) Outstanding Achievement Award, 20I0 IDA's President's and W.Y. Smith Awards (Awarded of Excellence for work on solutions), 20I3 IDA's Command DISA Cyber Readiness Inspection Award, 20I6 State Department Excellence Deployment Award for Citrix XenDesktop Concept. During her lifetime, she gleaned the most joy and support from her great loves her daughter Ashley Tillman, son Joseph Robinson III, 2nd grandson Jezreel Ezra Tillman, and fiance/partner Walter Evans. She held a special place in her heart and was the ultimate auntie and maternal figure/caretaker for various family members throughout her life (nieces Monique Jones, Aretha Montgomery, Kizzy Jones, and Latasha Kinlaw; nephews Brandon Anderson and Joseph Jones, etc.) and their children and significant others. Her heart was so available to all she touched, and she was always willing to provide her time. She is survived by her family, partner, friends, and all those she touched. Mary Abby is reunited in the Kingdom with her Ist grandson, JET; her mother, Ida; father, Walter; brother, Tommy, sister, Yvette, aunts, Ruby, Clara, and Peggy; most of her maternal uncles; cousin Elaine; and mother in law Linda Robinson; among other beloved family members. Please remember her as a tenacious fighter, a gentle soul, a jazzy yet sophisticated woman who loved to shake a tailfeather and jam to James Brown. Her magnanimously beautiful smile will last an eternity. Mom, we will never forget you. We will sing your praises unto the heavens until we are hoarse. May we meet you again in our dreams, and our stories will keep your memory alive in this world and beyond.

Graveside services will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Cane Branch AME Church Cemetery.  Ocean View Funeral Home and Beach Crematory, Conway Chapel is assisting the Jones Family.

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