Heaven is filled with even more laughter these days. Faye Jones went to her eternal home Saturday.
Ms. Faye, as most called her, was a bundle of laughter all the time. She lived right down the road from me. Before she had to sell her house and moved in with her daughter, I would frequently walk down to her house.
I could always count on a fresh cup of coffee no matter the time of day and would laugh until sore. I met her, of course, through the newspaper and at one time she wrote a column for the paper I published. Some days she would call and begin with “Boss Lady, do I have something to tell you.”
Though she didn’t like covering the government meetings she would do so from time to time if we were in a pinch. She could write feature stories and a column with the best of them.
Her columns were quite frequently about her handsome hubby, Doyle, who was a charmer himself. There was always some kind of dilemma Faye was getting into and Doyle having to help her out or her hoping he wouldn’t find out. Or he was getting into something and she was giving him a hard time about it.
She made the most humorous stories out of everyday things and situations. Laughter was a way of life for her and we should take her lead.
When I told Byron Chief Wesley Cannon about her death, I said there is probably much more laughter in heaven. He laughed of course and said Ms. Faye was probably leading the pack in that department. I’m sure he’s right.
The last few years were hard on her. She missed her friends she had made in Byron and most of all missed writing. Writing was not only therapy for her, it was a way of life.
She never seemed to meet a stranger and her home was always open when someone stopped by. You can be sure even if you just wanted to say hello, a few hours later you would realize you needed to go home before someone sent out a missing person report. Most everyone who knew her, loved her. What wasn’t there to love with her zest for life and laughter?
You just always felt at home and the laughter you shared, made you want to linger a while longer and enjoy the fun.
She edited a tabloid called Senior News for a long time and technology challenged her. I would get calls at different times, some even late at night. When her voice on the other end called my name with a question mark at the end, I knew she needed help. Stories would disappear from the computer, a photo wouldn’t load or she would need my help trying to rewrite a paragraph that just wouldn’t go together as she wanted.
Life with Faye, was certainly never dull. Going somewhere with her was a trip. Something crazy happened every time I decided to ride with her. On some of those times she begged me never to tell anyone. I never did, but we would laugh about it together. Some days I threatened to write a book about her adventures. I actually encouraged her to do so, or least with her columns. She kept saying one day she would get me to help her do just that but she’d probably have to change some names to protect the not-so innocent.
When she moved, I talked to her several times until her cell phone no longer worked and then could never seem to call at the right time. I kept saying I would try to pay her a visit but that day never came and now it is too late. That’s another lesson we need to learn – don’t wait before visiting someone you haven’t seen in a while. We aren’t promised tomorrow and we just never know when we will be called home.
Yes, heaven is certainly filled with more laughter with the queen of laughter, Faye there. She will be missed. Rest in peace, my friend.
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Speaking of laughter, our four-legged child makes us laugh at least once a day. I keep saying she can’t get any more spoiled than she already is, but she always proves me wrong.
I call her a con artist. She has learned how to get more treats in the morning. She always gets one after coming back in from outside. Now she will walk outside on the deck, turn around, come back in and sit for her treat. She will eventually go out and stay a while. I always give in to that face and give her one and so does David. So, now, instead of getting one treat she gets up to three or more in the mornings.
Roxie doesn’t like change either and David has had a change in his work schedule. For the first week she was really confused and sat at the door waiting on him the whole time, going back and forth. She has finally settled down and realizes he will eventually be home but it took a couple of weeks.
Her newest thing is that she talks more. Especially if you don’t answer her the first time. She will continue. If I ignore her long enough, she will, we believe, say “maama”. At a recent bible study, she took a shine to one of the ladies and went on to have a long conversation with her. We aren’t sure what that was all about but everyone got a laugh out of it.
Laughter is good for the soul and does a body good. It’s also good for the heart. At a recent women’s heart luncheon they explained how good it was for you. Let’s all try to have more laughter in our lives. We’ll live a lot longer if we do.©2018

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com