During a blizzard in 1929, Ethel Carson Murray Jones was born on January 17 ^th to her parents, Bryant Murray and Sallie Martin Murray.  She was the 5 ^th of 7 children.  She was born in Henderson, NC and her family moved to Portsmouth, VA in 1941.  Ethel graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1949 and in September of that year she went into nurses training at the King's Daughters Hospital School of Nursing.  She completed her school of nursing in 1952 as a Registered Nurse.  In 1952 she married Kenneth Purcell and from this union her one and only child, Paul, was born in 1954.  This marriage was dissolved by divorce.  At a later date she married Vernon Edward Jones, Jr. of Suffolk.  After marrying Vernon, they relocated to Roanoke and Frederick, MD following his career with Norfolk & Western Railroad.  Due to Vernon's parents' illnesses and subsequent deaths, they resided back in Suffolk until Vernon's death in 2005, after 48 years of marriage.  She had been a member of First Baptist Church in Suffolk since 1957.

Ethel was blessed with 4 nieces, 4 nephews, named Robert Wood, Ernest Wood, III, Regina Sword, Keith Murray, Jean Pickens, Aretta Matthews, Patricia Thompson Royal, David Thompson.

Her love of nursing inspired her to gift her body for Anatomical Donation.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held Friday, January 17, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. at Parr Funeral Home & Crematory with Rev. Charles Thompson officiating.  Memorial donations may be made to the Suffolk Humane Society.  Parr Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family.  Condolences may be registered online at www.parrfuneralhome.com.