Betty Jean Lofton was born on May 8, 1930, in Abilene, Texas. She was the first child and only daughter born to William and Ola White. She accepted Christ as her personal Savior and was baptized at an early age. She received her primary education through the Abilene School District.
She met and married Herman Jones II in Texas and in 1947, and with one child in tow they moved to San Diego, California, to be near family, where they had three more children. She spent many years in San Diego where she worked as a seamstress. One of her goals was to go back to school and she was very proud when she completed her GED in 1974.
In the 1980’s, she remarried and moved to Detroit, Michigan, where she lived for ten years. She made many new friends there and enjoyed her time in Detroit, where she worked in retail.
After Betty’s retirement from the retail industry, she returned to San Diego to be near her family. She was an avid learner, eagerly pursuing a diverse variety of continuing education classes throughout her life, such as electronics, soldering, Spanish, music, and computer classes. She also participated in different dance classes, as she loved to dance and exercise.
She was known as a woman who couldn’t pass up a store without buying something. She loved to collect knickknacks, keepsakes, and had a love for African art, as you could see by all of the items she had in her home.
Later in life she joined The Eagles Nest Christian Center, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. John E. Warren, where she was affectionately known as Mother Lofton. She made many lifelong friends and regularly attended services until her health began to decline.
Mother Lofton was called home to be with the Lord on February 21, 2024.
She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers; Hurley (Lardell), William (Sonny), and James (Toulum).
Having been blessed to live 93 years, she leaves to celebrate her life and cherish her memory her children; Julia Lofton (Albert-deceased), Herman Jones III (Lucille), Melvin Jones Sr. (Diana) and Vickey Jones, 8 grandchildren, a host of great-grandchildren, great-great grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephews, many friends and the Eagles Nest church family.
