MATTIE MARIE TONES

Mattie Marie Tones was born September 14, 1934, in Lavaca County, Texas to Clyde and Rosa Lee Tones.  As the fourth of four girls to their union, she was the baby and wore the title proudly, even though she acted like the oldest.  Matt, as she was more affectionately called by her family, accepted Christ at an early age at Richardson Chapel United Methodist Church in Hallettsville, Texas where she and her sisters grew up under the attentive eye of their mother after the passing of their father.

Family over Everything is a mantra the Tones family believes and lives by.  A graduate of Stephen Mayo High School, Matt gave birth to her first daughter, Sharon Ann.  With the blessing of her mother and encouragement of her sister Latrell, she left her baby to go help her oldest sisters, Roberta and Margaret, with their families in San Antonio.  She kept them boys (Obie, Al, Joe Craig) on the straight and narrow and insisted they stand up for themselves and their family.  Her sisters would reciprocate the love and demonstrate the family mantra by caring for her second daughter, Roslyn Marie, aka Ree-Ree, while she remained hospitalized after giving birth.

Complaining was something Marie never did.  She demonstrated her strength and independence to others daily.  Not one to mince words or beat around the bush, you always knew where you stood with her.  She was kind-hearted and would see the good in people.  She never met a stranger and would give them the shirt off her back.  Cooking, baking and decorating her home were her passions, along with poker and dominoes.  With some Johnny Taylor or BB King bellowing in the air, she would sit at a table, whoop you (in both games) and talk mess, but all with love.    

Her real love was raising the Montana Street Gang, who called her “Tee.”  The original member was her mini-me, daughter #3, Toni Jeanette.  But soon, there would be others: Tonya Yvette, Tamika Deshawn, Tiffany Marie, Christopher George, and Tianna Rochelle.

Mattie Marie Tones peacefully departed this earth on October 18, 2023.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sisters Roberta T. Bedford, Margaret Nell Godley, and Latrell Freelon, and her first grandchild, Alicia Haynes.

She leaves to cherish her memories, daughters Sharon Herring (Thurman), Barbara Oliver, Roslyn Tones, Toni Whaley (Essic), and Shonda Godley; sisters Johnell Callis (Wayne) and Jewel Wilson; brothers W.G. Tones and Kenneth Tones (Shirley); nephews Obie Bedford (Ora), Alfred Bedford (Eva Gail), Michael Godley, Wayne Bedford (Louise), and Bruce Godley (Dolly); five grandsons, Thurman Herring III, Brandon Whaley (April), Erik Whaley, Christopher Tones and Terrence Whaley; three granddaughters, Tamika Scott (Chris), Turchana Ferguson (Lewis), and Ashley Herring; and a host of great grandkids, great-great grandkids, loved relatives, and her puppy Chico.

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