On Aug. 23, 1929, Mother Sallie Mae McDonald Jonas, 91, was the beautiful baby daughter born to Julia Mae McDonald. She was a lifelong resident of Madison. On Sunday evening, Aug. 22, 2021, less than two hours before her 92nd birthday, Mother Sallie Mae Jonas transitioned to her heavenly home.
Preceding her in death were her mother; husband, Tommie Jonas, Sr.; step sons, Michael Jonas and Lester Leon Graham; step daughters: Lorraine Jonas Brown, Valerie Jennings and Loretta Allen.
Celebration of life services, with COVID-19 restrictions, will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, in the sanctuary of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 221 SW Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, in Madison. A public viewing and visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, in the chapel of J.P. Moore Mortuary, 379 W. Base Street, in Madison, (850) 973-6677. Earthly bed of slumber: Oakridge No. 1 Cemetery, in Madison.
Mother Sallie Mae was taught many skills and life lessons she needed to have a successful life by “her village” and the many caring teachers she had at Madison County Training School. She realized the importance of her teachers’ life lessons when she relocated to Miami for an extended vacation, but gladly returned to her hometown. After settling in, she used her faith and entrepreneurial spirit to open her own business, the Savoy Café, also known as Sallie Mae’s or Miss Sallie Mae’s, which was famous for her savory hamburgers and other delicious menu items.
Mother Sallie Mae was a classy person who loved dressing fashionably. These qualities, no doubt, caught the attention of Tommie Jonas, Sr. Their marriage was blessed for nearly 45 years. While they had no children together, she readily loved and accepted his children as her own, and they returned her love with much respect.
Mother Sallie Mae loved the Lord and was dedicated to serving Him. She was a faithful member of Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church of Madison, where she was very dutiful in her responsibility to the church and to her Stewardess Board until her health began to decline.
One of Mother Sallie Mae’s favorite pastime activities was fishing. She knew the best fishing spots and generally came home with the catch of the day. She also enjoyed listening to Troy Ramey and the Soul Searchers, watching westerns and being with her family. She also spent time with her “pet children,” especially her faithfully protective dog, Pee Wee, that would bite anyone who made the wrong move.
Treasuring Mother Sallie Mae’s love and legacy are her step sons: Tommie (Mildred) Jonas, Raymond Jonas, Sr., both of Madison; David (Gwendolyn) Jonas, of Tampa, Fla; Tony (Patricia) King, of Gainesville, Fla.; and Terry Jonas, of Newark, N.J.; step daughters: Marian L. Denson, Annie Jo Martin, Brenda (Frankie) Johnson, Mother Vera (Bishop Earl) Hill, all of Madison; Iris (John) Allison-Hawthorne, Albany, Ga.; and Angela (Wayne) Messam, of Miramar, Fla.; brother, Willie McCall, of Augusta, Ga.; brother-in-law, James Fudge, of Madison; sisters-in-law, Essie Mae Jonas (also friend/caregiver) and Lorine Quinn, both of Madison; and Mabelle Webb, of Lake Butler, Fla.; goddaughters: Leatha McDaniel Davis, of Madison; and Sallie Harris of Jacksonville, Fla.; a host of loving grandchildren, great-grandchildren, many other relatives and sorrowing friends.
Final care and compassionate services are being provided to the Jonas family, with love, care and uncompromising dignity, by J.P. Moore Mortuary & Cremation Services, of Madison
(850) 973-6677; Jamarien "J.P." Moore, Mortician.