FEATURE
success story And she was. Though small enough to be carried in a shoe box, baby Willetta grew into a strong and healthy adolescent, standing just shy of six feet in high school. Then, like her mother, she thumbed her nose at the dismal odds facing African American women desiring a higher education and graduated from Western Michigan University and then earned a master’s degree in education at Purdue University. The first college Willetta attended was Baker University in Kansas. “There were only 13 Black students on the campus,” recalls Willetta, adding, “but the odds were what I made them. It was a very challenging experience, to say the least.”
making
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IN 1949, A PREMATURE BABY had dismal prospects for
survival. But Willetta Collins, arriving three months early and weighing only 1 pound, 12 ounces, paid no mind to the statistics. Already she was taking after her parents, both of whom—with steadfast determination—pursued excellence throughout their lives. Willetta’s mother set the family tone for beating the odds by graduating from Philander Smith College in 1940 when only two percent of African American women attended college. Willetta’s father exhibited that same fierce resolve not only professionally, but when it came to his newborn daughter as well: when doctors said they had done all they could for his baby girl, he responded determinedly, “I’m taking her home. She is going to be just fine.”
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L AKENORMAN
After graduate school, Willetta accepted a position in Baltimore teaching emotionally handicapped students. It was in Maryland that she met her husband of 43 years, Horatio “Bill” Jones, who was one of the first Black news directors in the country. As Bill worked his way up the corporate ladder at CBS, the couple welcomed their son, Horatio William Jones, IV, and eventually landed in Charlotte. After 10 years in the University area, the Jones family moved to Stratford Forest in Cornelius, where they found their forever home. “We were the first African American family in the neighborhood,” Willetta remembers, “and we were accepted with open arms. We are truly blessed to be a part of this community.” Though Willetta enjoyed teaching and then retirement, she held a dream deep in her heart of helping others turn their despair into hope, inspiring her to start a second career as a certified grief coach. Together with Bill, she launched Abiding Grace, a service that provides one-on-one support, understanding, care, comfort, and tools for those struggling with grief. The tools come in the form of individual sessions and packages that fit each client’s needs. “Loss comes in many forms,” says Willetta, “and grieving is an individual process. I hope to become an instrument of change that helps those in pain transform their loss into a wealth of life's victories.” Willetta is quick to admit that she doesn’t have the answer to all the “why” questions. But she will help her clients bawl, laugh, talk, journal, and whatever it takes for them to move through their grief to their new normal—a place of gratitude. And perhaps just as importantly, she encourages those grieving to go easy on themselves if they’re not moving forward as quickly as they’d like—"It’s so important to not give up!” she asserts. “Give yourself grace and grant yourself permission, space, and time. Whatever you do, don’t give up—you are still here, and you are not alone.” w WRITER DANA JORDAN
PHOTOGRAPHER TONI LOVEJOY
