- Date Of Birth: June 8, 1933
- Date Of Death: January 28, 2014
- State: New Jersey
Viola H. Lacey Jones, was born on June 8, 1933 in Philadelphia, the second child of Mozella and James Hooks. As she grew up with her sister Marcella, the oldest and younger siblings Eleanor and Janetta, she never failed to tell anyone who would ask her what she wanted to be; “I want to be a school teacher.” She attended George Wolf Elementary School, Tilden Junior High and Bartram High School.
She graduated from high school in 1951and entered Cheyney State Teacher’s College, attending from 1951 to 1955, graduating with a B.S. degree. Viola taught in Camden, NJ for years. She then began a long teaching career in Philadelphia that lasted 24-1/2 years. While teaching, she attended University of Pennsylvania , Temple University, St. Joseph’s College and Cheyney State Graduate College for her Master’s degree credits. In 1957, she married Benjamin F. Lacey and from this blissful, happy union produced one child, Susan Denise Lacey.
She distinguished herself as a teacher in the Philadelphia School System by becoming a lead teacher-team leader, at Comegus Elementary School, a house coordinator at John P. Turner Middle School, chosen Leader in Elementary Education by Edmund Sacchetti, published three editions of The Turner Middle School Yearbook and dedicated her total energies in being the best possible teacher she could be. This was evident by the recognition she was given by her colleagues and her students.
The passing of her husband and her mother was very difficult for Viola and she ceased teaching for a while. She began teaching in Willingboro School System after living in the community for a few years. After teaching in several schools, she retired from Twin Hills Elementary School in 1998. Viola married for the second time to Samuel Barclay Jones in 1985. This union ended in 1989. Viola traveled to many places (China, Greece, Italy, London and Alaska, just to name a few. She loved to teach, loved people, especially children and she also loved to read, write poetry and short stories and music.
Viola has been a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority since 1955, and in recent years joined the Zeta Delta Zeta Chapter of the sorority and held the offices of grammateus, anti-grammateus and chaired many committees. She totally enjoyed her sorority and the friendships that developed within this organization. Viola loved her church and enjoyed attending Bible Study and working at the Soup Kitchen every Monday. She continued to work part time at the Kennedy Center as a teacher of adults who were seeking their high school degrees.
