Shirley Jones (Best) 1936 - 2021

She stayed in Hampton when the buzz bombs came over and Burlington House was closed. She was artistic, liked sewing and embroidery and got Greek As from Miss Denney for her history pictures. She met Colin Jones at the Hampton Baths and got into trouble with Miss Scott for having his pictures in her desk.

When she left LEHS she spent a year at the now defunct Cripplegate Secretarial College and got a job at W.H. Smith in the Art Department. While on holiday in Jersey with classmate Faye Maynard she met and fell in love with James Wilson. They were married in Glasgow where, after starting their family, he decided re-train and become a doctor. After working as an anesthesiologist, he was offered a position in a hospital in Richmond, Virginia.

Shirley followed him on the Queen Mary with their two children Claire and Christopher and 12 pieces of luggage. Once settled, she joined the Presbyterian Church, sang in the choir, got her degree and teaching credentials from the small but prestigious Christopher Newport University and taught Middle School English. Shirley and James divorced but they both stayed in Virginia. Claire lives in Virginia and Chris and his two boys Rory and Ewan live in California.

Following another twist of fate, she crossed paths again with her childhood sweetheart Colin Jones. Following the death of his LEHS wife Jan Hollands and being an American Civil War buff Colin decided to visit some of the Civil War sites. Shirley met him at the airport. They were married for 10 years. We remember Shirley - blond, blue-eyed, upbeat, and smiling.