Yvonne Delores Jeffries Thornton

Flying high with new wings, celebrating her life July 24, 1937 - November 17, 2020 .

Yvonne Delores Jeffries Thornton entered this world and left her mark living a life of faith, love and service. She was a staunch advocate for the education of children and adults. Her motto… "parental involvement is the key to a child's success!"  Yvonne never stopped reading, studying, learning, talking, and exploring education. Books, educational magazines and programs were the tools she used as she painted a beautiful picture of her families' future success and moved the work of her Jeffries-Moore heritage forward to the next level. Her blood comes from teachers, preachers and those dedicated to serving The Lord and the underserved.

Yvonne Delores Jeffries Thornton was born on July 24, 1937 in Marion, Alabama to Eddie Philip Jeffries

(b.1912) and Elizabeth Moore Jeffries (b.1915). The name Yvonne, chosen by her mother, was rare and inspired by Canadian born quintuplets one of whom was named Yvonne. Yvonne's mother Elizabeth or "Lizzie" was a trailblazer herself for her time and was named after her maternal grandfather's (Richard Moore b.1885) mother, Lizzie McClain (b.1861); so, it only was befitting that Yvonne's parents Eddie and Elizabeth decided "Yvonne" would be the name given to the newest addition to their family. She was the fourth and youngest child rounding out the Jeffries clan just before the family moved from the Deep South town of Marion, Alabama to the state of Virginia in 1942. Their story of migration had a strong and fearless mother leaving her parents and taking her four children on a long journey by train North to meet her husband, who had moved to Virginia, for better opportunities for their family, to work in the Newport News Shipyard as an engineer for his time.

Yvonne was known to many and had many endearing nicknames… Mommy, Mom, GrannyMommy, Momma T., and Aunt YiYi, because "Yvonne" was hard to pronounce for her younger nieces and nephews. She was also known as Y, Vonne D., Evonne, Mrs. Thornton, Sister, Daughter, Wife, Girlfriend, Confidant, Mother to many, Educator, Forward thinker, Mrs. Bourgie, and Momo. Regardless of the name, she was adored and loved by all that called her.

Yvonne had a passion for her family's history, sharing the lineage, telling stories and showing pictures displaying the proud foundation upon which she stood. The pictures hung prominently in all of the cities in which she lived. Her paternal grandfather, John Bunion Jeffries (b.1872),who was affectionally called "Po-pe" by his grandchildren, was a preacher and a teacher in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and her grandmother Emma Todd Jeffries (b.1884) called "Mo-me" represented strength and success for her. Yvonne's father Eddie whom she adored and Mother Elizabeth whose name Yvonne gave intentionally to her daughter Dawn Elizabeth, settled in Newport News, Virginia. Her father had traveled through the region for the minister's conference with his father John Bunion as a teenager and thought it a fine town to establish and nurture roots. Relocating with his wife Elizabeth "Liz" and their four children Helen Grace Jeffries Williams, the eldest child, who doted on her siblings carefully in her way as a protector; Ret. LT. Col. Eddie Philip Jeffries, Sr., whom Yvonne called her "buddy" as they both shared a love of timepieces and writing instruments; Ret. Col. John Richard "Dick" (her BFF) as she would recount the many mischievous adventures that they shared and Yvonne. Yvonne's position in the family as the baby was destined to propel her to greatness. She had a natural curiosity, a determined personality, and a thirst for knowledge.

She was a curious child with keen observational skills. Her questions, which were of the type not normally emanating nor originating from a young child during that time, were unrelenting and often exhausted her family (smile). Yvonne loved to play and was also quite athletic. She loved basketball and roller skating at 806 Lassiter Drive with her brother Dick. Yvonne had very fond memories of that time. She would often talk about the fun she and Dick would have. The two of them shared an especially close bond. She learned to swim in her elementary school years, which came in handy at her home in Richmond. At that time in 1975, she had the only home with an inground swimming pool in the neighborhood. There, Yvonne would swim, host cookouts and parties which would leave a lasting impression on all who would visit. Many great memories were made during those years. She was always a gracious host and their summer cookouts became legendary.

Yvonne joined St. Paul AME Church at the age of nine. As Yvonne put it, she wanted to join the church and just felt that she should join. Yvonne was a very talented youngster. She was an artistic child with the God given gift of a beautiful singing voice with the personality for theatre.  She participated in Sunday school, church and school choirs and performed in church plays on the stages at St Paul AME. She was a lead soloist for the high school choir, college choir and the church. She often  performed and sang in church. Her eldest sister Helen Grace recounts, Yvonne, in tow with her mother, was always excited to share her voice. She was a gospel soloist in her AME church, and her sister says she would "tear" down the house with her solos. At the age of 2 she sang God Bless America at the courthouse in Marion, Alabama for all to hear.

The family moved to their final home place at 646 30 ^th Street in Newport News, just down the street from their beloved church in 1957. Her parents purchased this home where they lived for 46 years. Many family legacy memories were created here over several decades as the generations grew with 9 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 4 great great-grandchildren.  Yvonne completed her education in the Newport News public school system graduating from Huntington High School where she remained a member of their alumni association participating in various activities and events during her retirement.

Yvonne was the fourth child in her family to go to college attending Saint Paul's College, an Episcopal College, in Lawrenceville, Virginia.  Her parents paid for the college education of all four of their children in the 1950's. She received her BS in Elementary Education in May 1959. This is where her passion for educating children took root. Her lineage always included education. Even in the deep south, her family attended Lincoln Normal School, a private school, in Marion, Alabama and Tuskegee Institute. Her Aunt Mallie known as "Nannie" Moore Foster was and educator and attended the same high school as Coretta Scott "King". Yvonne's Uncle Robert Bell, who married her mother's sister Helen Beatrice Moore Bell, was a professor at Tuskegee and a faculty member alongside George Washington Carver. Uncle Robert Bell was one of the first African American surveyors in Tuskegee.  Yvonne's God given talents and devotion to education continued from the legacy of her ancestors.  While at Saint Paul's College, Yvonne pledged Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1957 following in the footsteps of her sister, Helen Grace who pledged in 1953. Yvonne was Miss St. Paul's and was the "cat's meow" of all the fellas on campus as told by many of her fellow college friends.  Yvonne's innate thirst and drive for learning continued as she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education in 1959 and began her teaching career in Richmond, Virginia.  She started her teaching career at Fairmount Elementary School. She excelled in the Richmond Public School System being recognized by her colleagues and principals for her work with children.

Yvonne and her sister were real independent career women, living in a two-bedroom apartment that Helen had secured two years before Yvonne graduated from college. They were known as the "Jeffries Sisters" and took Richmond by storm.  After just a few years out of college, Yvonne married her college boyfriend Theodore E. Thornton from Queens, New York on July 22,1961 and began her family life making Richmond her family home. She joined Third Street Bethel AME Church under the Reverend E. William Judge.  Yvonne immersed herself and her family in her church joining the stewardess board and choir.

Their first apartment as a new family was on Edgewood Avenue in Richmond. Their first child, Theodore E Thornton, Jr., born June 1962, joined them at their Edgewood Avenue home. Ted Jr was a precocious youngster. Although the apartment was small, Ted Jr would ride his peddle car around the apartment. Yvonne would set up an obstacle course for young Ted, challenging his eye-hand coordination. The challenge was to not hit the wall and scratch the paint. Ted was delighted at the chance to test his new skills, but the neighbor's downstairs were not so thrilled. It seemed plastic wheels on a wood floor made too much racket. It became clear soon after, that a larger home would be needed. The young family moved to a quaint two-story colonial style home at 3412 Montrose Avenue. Yvonne and Ted were the first Blacks to purchase a home on Montrose Avenue, staring the integration of that neighborhood in 1967, moving in with two young children and a puppy they named Black-O, who always followed Yvonne around. Not only were the neighborhoods beginning to integrate, but the school system in Richmond was starting to integrate as well.

Yvonne continued her higher degree in education receiving her master's degree in education from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). She said that there were so many teachers that she had to do something to distinguish herself. She always wants to get her PhD., but her mothering took precedence given her children's needs. While working on her master's degree, she was also worked full-time teaching and raising her children: Theodore E Thornton, Jr. and Dawn Elizabeth Thornton born March 1967.  A trailblazer for career women and women of her generation and of that time in the South, Yvonne refused to let anything stop her dreams!

After receiving her master's degree, she again got that inner calling to do more and Yvonne became a Reading Specialist at Virginia Union University (VUU) in Richmond. Yvonne taught many students as a professor at Virginia Union. Some of these students became teachers in the Richmond Public School system, and some of those teachers taught her daughter Dawn in elementary and middle school. In addition to being a teacher of her own children, Yvonne was always a mentor, mother and a Christian example. Her home was always open to the students at Virginia Union who wanted advice, counsel and just a home environment. She was also a mother to the young ladies of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. as she became the VUU Chapter Advisor for a number of years. Her home on Montrose Ave was filled with those ladies for meetings and socializing.

Yvonne always had food, fun around the family swimming pool, and loving arms that were long enough for her own children, her students, her church members, and many others! Yvonne had numerous artistic gifts that she also shared. She loved sewing like her mother, who was a professional seamstress and tailor for over 40 years. Yvonne would turn her dining room table into a cutting board making her own patterns and sewing dresses for her daughter and herself in one night. Her tool of choice was her Singer sewing machine which was a hefty investment on a teacher's salary. She taught herself how to macrame and made hanging planters for her beloved plants, as she also had a green thumb and loved plants. She then moved on to knitting making thick large blankets that have stood the test of time… solid and strong just like Yvonne.

Now Montrose Avenue in Richmond was a very special place. A few years after the birth of Dawn, plans were made to expand the size of the home. In 1971 that plan was put into motion. Her husband, Ted Sr envisioned adding a family room and a backyard with a swimming pool which would be perfect for family gatherings and entertaining. Many on that block will remember carpooling, summers playing, block parties…. Oh, the parties! The Thorntons were the only family on the block to build an inground swimming pool complete with a diving board in the 8 ft deep end of the pool. The parties were legendary. Yvonne's son Ted celebrated his 16 ^th birthday with all that could fit in the yard, and Dawn celebrated her 13 ^th birthday with a basement bash for all and her brother Ted as DJ.

Yvonne hosted legendary adult parties in the Richmond society. Her brothers and sister often visited. Her sister Helen Grace and her husband Sid, who Yvonne had known since she was a teenager, would come to Richmond from Hampton with their son, Wesley, drop him with cousins Dawn and Ted, then the grown folks would commence to dancing and having fun and fellowship, often expressing themselves using their foreign language "Pig Latin" and the "Bekon" that was passed through the generations. Their home in Richmond held many fond memories of which Yvonne reflected on in her final days as she peered out of the windows of her home in Newport News.

Yvonne instilled community service in her children at a very young age! Her family backyard became the venue for a Sickle Cell Anemia Talent Show and Swim Fundraiser that her daughter Dawn and her childhood girlfriends planned. Once again, the backyard was full of friends from the neighborhood. Yvonne helping the young ladies, Ted, Sr. on the grill cooking hotdogs and hamburgers, and Ted, Jr playing DJ again. The young ladies would go on to donate their earnings to the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation for research as the representative was also in attendance. The local news media covered the event, and the girls made the Sunday paper. Yvonne inspired and supervised that amazing event.

In 1980 her husband's job moved the family to Columbia, Maryland where Yvonne joined a small church called Mount Pisgah AME Church. There she was an usher and worked with the youth choir as she began another chapter in her life's adventure.  She emersed herself in the more integrated society in Columbia, becoming active with the Delta Sigma Theta Alumnae Chapter, focusing on her family and taking new roots in that community. With a son in college, at Howard University, and a daughter in a new middle school in Columbia, Yvonne did what she does best and used her thirst for knowledge to position her family for the future. Yvonne exposed her daughter Dawn and ensured that her growth and development continued and thrived in this new city. Yvonne became known in her church and in the city. She became a Chapter 1 coordinator for the Baltimore City Public Schools. Esteemed by her colleagues, her team of valued educators secured computers for the program during that time. She traveled throughout the state of Maryland, which was an adventure for her fearless approach, sharing with her daughter to not be afraid and get out there and try. The stop in Columbia proved to Yvonne that she had what it took within, to continue her success.

With another move to Washington DC in 1988, Yvonne joined Turner Memorial AME Church and served as an usher, stewardess and on the church Welcome Committee. Wherever she went, a strong church foundation guided her steps. Upon her daughter's graduation from Howard University in 1989, Yvonne moved to Baltimore Maryland with her husband Ted. She became a Parent Involvement Specialist focusing on family literacy for the Maryland State Department of Education.  Now she traveled throughout the state of Maryland complete with a state car, hotel stays and an expense account. Yvonne once again selected their home; however, this time she wanted a condo in a high-rise building named "The Highfield House" on North Charles Street. She really enjoyed this new type of living with valet  parking, pool and community areas where she hosted her daughter's Graduate school celebration and her family gatherings. She loved the view of the trees from her 15 ^th floor surroundings. Becoming a member of St. Johns AME Church, Yvonne helped develop the St. John AME Saturday Academy for children in the Baltimore inner City neighborhood around the church.

Finishing out her career here, Yvonne was recognized in the Baltimore City School System and the Maryland State Department of Education for her work in the Chapter 1 and Parent Involvement Programs with over 20 years of service. She was bestowed many awards for her tireless work with children, teachers and parents in Maryland.

In 1999 Yvonne's life came full circle as she retired from the Maryland State Department of Education, moving home to Newport News and home to St Paul AME Church.  Even in retirement, Yvonne still had a burning desire to serve her community.  She was the Director of the William E. Rattley Road Ahead Hunger Center in Newport News for a number of years.  Her passion for her church is a legacy left by her mother and father.  Yvonne served on the Stewardess Board; she was a member of the Missionary Society and served on the Bread Program for the community at St. Paul AME Church. She was named Missionary of the year in 2017.

Yvonne became GrannyMommy to her grandchildren that she adored. As told by Kendall and Bryce, they would have sleepovers at her home in Newport News, building forts with sheets and blankets and eating snacks in her master bedroom while watching television all night.

Yvonne's legacy continues from her son Theodore E. Thornton, Jr and wife Loretta Thornton, who she knew adored her son, with great-grandson Rashaud C. Harrell in Klamath Falls, Oregon; great-granddaughter Carrie L. Hagee in Washington, DC; granddaughter Tacasha L. Harrell in Silver Spring, Maryland.

From her daughter Dawn Elizabeth Thornton Johnson and husband Alfred Chip Johnson, with whom she adored and loved discussing history, politics and life, she has grandson Bryce Alfred Johnson, a senior at Stanford University in California studying computer science engineering, and a granddaughter Kendall Elizabeth Johnson, a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Dallas and a freshman at Stanford University. Yvonne's grandchildren both continue her legacy of education, 5 ^th generation college educated and 4 ^th generation graduate school, and love of the arts as Bryce is an accomplished principal violist following in the footsteps of his Uncle Ted, and Kendall is a classical ballet and modern dancer.

The parent is the child's first teacher… You must advocate for your children… They must be prepared to compete. These words were spoken by Yvonne throughout her life. She was a tireless advocate for the development and education of children, especially young Black children. She always recognized the special set of circumstances put upon this particular group of young children. That was her rallying cry in life.

Yvonne always wanted the best and gave her ALL!

Her children, Dawn and Ted will be holding a Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at O. H. Smith & Son Funeral Home located at 3009 Chestnut Avenue Newport News, Virginia.

Although Yvonne's service of celebration will be by invitation only, we invite all family, friends, and congregational members to join us for our mother's Homegoing Celebratory Recessional Parade and Repast.

Our Mother's Homegoing Celebratory Recessional Parade begins at 12:00pm. The funeral home will begin lining up the cars at 11:45am.

The parade route includes places near and dear to Yvonne's heart:

·         1st stop, Childhood Family home place- 646 30th Street, Newport News, VA

·         2nd stop, Home church St. Paul A.M.E. Church 2500 Chestnut Avenue, Newport News, VA

·         3rd stop, Returning to O. H. Smith & Son Funeral Home for a drive-thru Repast

Note: For all of our safety the Repast lunch will be provided in individualized to-go boxes. Please RSVP by 4/30/2021 to Dawn Johnson at 972-342-9406 or send an email: Yvonnelifecelebration@gmail.com to allow the family to plan accordingly.

Hotel Accommodations: For room reservations call 866-329-1758

Marriott Newport News City Center (740 Town Center Drive)

*The room block is under- Jeffries/Thornton/Johnson Celebration

Her children have established The Yvonne Delores Jeffries Thornton St. Paul (AME) Church- Stewardess Youth Educational Scholarship Fund to benefit the young people of the congregation in lieu of gifts/flowers.

Please consider donating in the following ways:

• Make your check payable to: Paul A.M.E. Church (memo Yvonne J. Thornton Stewardess Youth Educational Scholarship). Mail to: St. Paul A.M.E Church 2500 Chestnut Ave. Newport News, VA 23607
• Make an on-line donation: Follow instructions below.

Go to: www.givelify.com

Click:    Donate to an organization or Donate Today

Type:    St. Paul AME Church Newport News, VA

Click:    St. Paul AME Church 2500 Chestnut Ave. Newport News, VA 23607

Click:    Select your donation dollar amount

Select:  Scroll down and click on the TAB that says "Yvonne Thornton Scholarship"

Next:    Follow the instructions to make your donation and add a personal note if you wish