Brenda Jones

Brenda Sorrell Jones passed away on July 26, 2013, in Washington, DC.  A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Raleigh on Saturday, August 3, 2013 at 3:00p.m. Brenda is survived by her husband, J.W. “Duke “ Jones of Raleigh; her daughters, Trina Rogers and husband, John, of Chapel Hill and Sabrina Jones of Winston-Salem; her siblings, Wayne Sorrell and wife, Joyce, of Youngsville, Ruth Lacy of Garner, Pam Parker of Dunn, and Trent Sorrell and wife, Connie, of Dunn; her bothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Robert Jones and wife, Vena, and Kenneth Jones and wife, Joan, all of Midway; and many nieces and nephews. Brenda was born in Dunn, NC to the late Thurman and Pauline Sorrell. She attended Coats High School, graduated from Campbell University, and earned a Master’s degree from Georgia Southern University.   She was a teacher who loved helping children learn and grow.  Her classrooms in Florida, Georgia, and for the last 20 years at Wake Forest Elementary School were filled with high expectations and love.  She was active in the life of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, where she enjoyed her Covenant Group and directed the wedding guild for 12 years. During her courageous battle against aplastic anemia, she consistently beat the odds and helped push the envelope of medical research by becoming one of the oldest patients to receive a stem cell transplant to treat and cure aplastic anemia. Her contributions to the field of medical knowledge through her two year treatment at The National Institutes of Health will help countless others as new treatments for her disease are developed.  One of her nurses said it was a gift from God to care for her, and she was consistently amazed by the many loving health care professionals who cared for her and the family.  Her courage, perseverance, strength, and joy throughout her life and illness inspired many. Brenda had a gift for making others feel welcomed, whether at home in Raleigh or in her hospital room in Maryland.  She leaves behind a legacy of love for her family, friends, teaching, and travel. Memorials in her memory may be made to:  NHLBI, 10 Center Drive, Building 31, Office of the NHLBI Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, In Memo: “Brenda Jones Memorial Gift for Laboratory of Dr. Richard Childs”.