Sheila Gail Presley Jones, age 74, was born on April 18, 1948, in Sheffield, Alabama, to Edith and Taylor Presley. She died in the loving care of her family on July 24, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee, from complications of Parkinson's disease, which she battled for eight years.

Sheila was a lifelong follower of Jesus and loving and cherished wife, mother, grandmother ("to a very precious baby girl"), sister and friend. She was the biggest fan of her three daughters, a loyal and lifelong partner to her husband, and a model of love and laughter to all those who knew her. You couldn't be around Sheila for long without bursting into laughter. Her joy was contagious.

She was also a deeply spiritual woman who explored the depths of her faith and herself. Her most treasured verse from Scripture is found in Psalm 62:1-2: "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Her interests were many, but in her own words, her favorite things in life were: "family, friends, faith, fun and feathered flyers in my backyard."

In her early years, Sheila was a graduate of Sheffield High School. She attended Lipscomb University for three years and received her bachelor's degree from Memphis University.

During her life, she was at various times a stay-at-home mom, a public school teacher, a conference speaker, a leader of women's ministries wherever she lived and, for 25 years, an editor for two Christian publishing companies. She was the author of two books, co-author of one, and envisioned, planned, edited and contributed to many anthologies.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Taylor and Edith Presley and by a brother, Ronald. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, Tom A. Jones; three daughters, Amy Black, Bethany Smith and Corrie Jones; two sons by marriage, Ryan Black and Adam Smith; a granddaughter, Skylar Presley Smith; a sister, Emily Bringardner; two nephews, JT Bringardener and Michael Bringardener; and a niece, Malee Hughes.

Life will not be the same without the loving and joyful presence of this beautiful, amazing, talented, witty, fun woman, but her spirit will live on through her family and her writings.

The family will celebrate her life on Saturday October 15 with the Greater Nashville Church (where she was a member for the last 17 years) and then have a time to inter her remains in her childhood hometown of Sheffield, Alabama.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Sheila's memory to her favorite charity, The Beat of Life, at this internet address: http://thebeatoflife.org/donate/

The family invites you to share your thoughts, fond memories, and condolences online at www.simplecremationtn.com