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Elsie Jones Rucker was born April 19, 1922, in Simpson County, Mississippi. She was the oldest of five daughters born to Ira Jones and Bessie Cole Jones. She grew up in the Martinville Community and attended Martinville School and Mendenhall High School. Elsie passed away in her sleep on July 11, 2023, at Baptist Hospital after a brief stay. She was 101 years of age and lived a very full, productive, and eventful life.
Elsie leaves behind her sister, Lavelle J. McLendon, age 98, of Pearl and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents Ira and Bessie Jones and her husband Edwin Rucker, along with three sisters: Lois Blair, Dorothy Quay Mahaffey, and Alma Lavon Caston.
Grateful thanks and appreciation are extended to Elsie’s beloved niece, Denise and husband, Terry Jones, nephew Eddy and wife, Donna Mahaffey, and caregiver Christy Shope for their loving care and keeping. Because of them, Elsie was able to remain in the home she loved so dearly.
To know Elsie was quite an experience. She could be irascible at times, quite the character, very strong-willed, highly opinionated, extremely funny, yet loving and caring. She was a self-made woman and forged a plan for herself as a young girl while working on the family farm during the Great Depression. Possessed of a keen, native intelligence, she learned to be frugal, self-sufficient, and ever-mindful of her humble roots. During her many years of living in Houston, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge, she continued to help her parents, her siblings, and their families. She felt it her duty to give back in a spirit of thankfulness. In 1975, she had constructed a fine two-story brick house right next to the one in which she’d grown up. When her mother was no longer able to live alone, Elsie had her moved into the big house with caregivers in attendance round the clock. Then, in 2004, Elsie finally retired, sold her house in Baton Rouge, doubled the size of the one at Martinville, and moved back home to live out her days. She canned and shared her bounty with neighbors and family, grew flowers and vegetables, mowed her own lawn, drove her old 1997 Lincoln, and entertained family and friends. It was quite an honor to be invited to her house where Southern hospitality reigned supreme. In addition to Elsie’s maintaining a well-rounded lifestyle in retirement, she also loved attending Magee First Baptist Church and mixing with old friends, as well as new ones. Of especial importance to her were “The Martinville Five,” a small coterie of five former Martinville classmates, all in their early 90s, who found themselves once again living within a mile’s radius of one another in the Martinville Community. They met as often as possible and loved getting together for a meal, reliving the old days by recounting memories and often revising history or divulging more than was thought prudent. Each was quick to remind the others when something didn’t sound quite right. The group consisted of self-appointed leader Elsie Jones Rucker, Nevis McAlpin Womack, Gussie Cooper Walker, Ruby Hawkins Lee, and Dorothy Sullivan Jones. Mrs. Nevis is now the lone survivor of that special group of ladies.
During her many years of working, Elsie lived a very full and vital life and was the recipient of many awards as top salesperson for Borden’s, Relax-a-cizor, and Cher Belli Cosmetics. In 1952, Governor Robert F. Kennon hired her to serve as hostess at the Governor’s Mansion at Baton Rouge, where her duties also included being in charge of the groundskeepers, kitchen, and household staff, as well as serving as Mrs. Kennon’s personal secretary. For several years afterward, Elsie owned and operated a very successful catering business and restaurant in Baton Rouge. Her final working years found her in the role of concierge for Baton Rouge’s Holiday Inn before finally retiring at the age of 84. Elsie was always larger than life and will long be remembered for her warmth, quick wit, sharp tongue, and wisdom. She will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her. Rest from your toils, oh, pilgrim. Your race is run.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 14, 2023, at First Baptist Church in Magee, MS, from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM. The service will begin at 11:00 AM with Bro. Jim Taylor officiating. Interment will follow in Old Good Hope Cemetery in Martinville.
Arrangements are entrusted with Tutor Funeral Home of Magee.
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