Patti Michelle Jones Wallace

With profound love and eternal gratitude, we announce the passing of Patti Michelle Jones Wallace, who departed peacefully on August 9th, 2025 at 65 years of age. She was a woman of unwavering principles, intellectual curiosity, and boundless grace. She illuminated every life she touched.

Patti was born at Charity Hospital in New Orleans to Purity & Lottie Jones. Coming of age in the 1960’s and 70’s, Purity and Lottie instilled resilience, faith, and a passion for life; all of which Patti instilled into her children.

Mourning Patti’s departure, while cherishing precious memories of her are: her mother, Lottie S. Jones; four siblings, Cynthia Bethley (Bernard), Tonola Blakes, Tyrone Jones, and Darrell Jones (Personna); three children, Dannie Lirette-Wallace (Jacob), Darren Wallace, and Dana Wallace (Brittney); one grandchild Rabel Robin-Wallace; 5 nieces, 3 nephews, 4 great-nieces/nephews, and numerous other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death and reunited with her beloved father, Purity Jones Jr.

Even as a teenager, Patti was the epitome of a focused and dynamic scholar, graduating from Scotlandville High School at age 16 in 1976. She was a savant in music and movement, playing the flute in Scotlandville’s marching band as well as later serving as a Southern University Dancing Doll from 1978 to 1980. As a young adult, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education from Southern University and later dedicated herself to the state of Louisiana in which she completed 30 years of service, including 9 years of service to the Louisiana Department of Education with the Office of Management and Finance, Division of Appropriation Control. Leaving her mark on the Louisiana State Department of Education, she retired in 2010.

From live music and film to home decorating and wedding planning, Patti was a fierce and fashionable connoisseur of the arts. Though she was an avid travel enthusiast eager to experience new places and cultures, Patti above all was a lover of all things Louisiana: seafood, Southern University tailgating, LSU football, the Saints and the perennial collapse of the Dallas Cowboys.

Patti’s greatest pride was not her accolades, but her children’s wellbeing. She possessed the quiet magic of turning little into plenty — transforming humble ingredients, meager means, and simple moments into warmth, comfort, and beauty. With resourceful hands and a generous heart, she built a world for her family where love was never scarce.

A life beautifully lived on her own terms and a commanding presence profoundly missed, we carry her light and legacy forward.