her Instagram post <\/a>Saturday. \u201cShe passed early in the morning on New Year\u2019s Eve at the age of 96.\u201d<\/p>\nSheinelle Jones with her grandmother, Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones\u2019 grandma. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone who knows me, knows that \u2018Grandmama,\u2019 Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown, was my world; my best buddy, my confidante and my unapologetic cheerleader,\u201d Jones continued. \u201cIn time, I\u2019ll share the stories of how her advocacy changed the trajectory of my education, and how she \u2018lit up\u2019 when I told her in 5th grade that I wanted to be a news reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The famous journalist explained Brown\u2019s many accomplishments, such as being a classically trained pianist, the director of music ministry at her and becoming the first Black woman to be elected to the Board of Education.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of you also know that my grandfather and his father \u2013 were among the first black doctors in our town \u2026 growing up \u2013 it felt like everyone went to Grandpapa for care,\u201d Jones continued. \u201cBetween the two of them, they exemplified what it means to squeeze the most out of life and to give.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones with her mother and grandmother. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones with her grandma, mom, and daughter Clara. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones with her grandma, Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is so precious,\u201d she wrote, \u201cand I can\u2019t help but to be changed by the last year and a half. Heaven has gained a new choir director, and our family \u2013 a new angel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones\u2019 post featured more than a dozen pictures of Brown from over the years, including photos that featured Jones, her late husband and her three children.<\/p>\n
In the comments, Jones received support from some of her current and former \u201cToday\u201d colleagues including Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager and Dylan Dreyer.<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones\u2019 grandmother with her children. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Uche Ojeh and Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones\u2019 grandmother. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones\u2019 grandma dancing at her wedding. Sheinelle Jones\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Jones took about nine months off of work<\/a> last year to care for her ailing husband, who ultimately lost his battle with glioblastoma in May. <\/p>\nShe returned to the NBC show in September and opened up about Ojeh\u2019s death in an emotional interview. <\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones with her late husband. Sheinelle Jones \/Instagram<\/p>\n
Sheinelle Jones with her husband and kids. Sheinelle Jones \/Instagram<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful nightmare,\u201d she said. \u201cMy heart is shattered in a million pieces. The life that I\u2019ve known since I was 19 is no more. I\u2019ve always wanted kids and I have three kids of my own now and they\u2019ve lost their dad. And I\u2019m their mom. It sucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jones and Ojeh, whose real name was Uchechukwuka Adenola Ojeh, married in 2007.<\/p>\n
The couple welcomed three children: Kaylin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13\u00a0<\/p>\n
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