Mr. Jonas Crenshaw, Sr.'s Obituary
Jonas Crenshaw, Sr. was born in East Carroll Parish, Louisiana on September 25,
1945. The son of James and Fannie Crenshaw, he and his family relocated to Tallulah
Louisiana when he was a small child. He was preceded in death by his parents, older
brother, Charlie, and his identical twin brother, James.
Jonas’s father passed when he and his twin brother were young boys. As children,
Jonas and his twin brother, James, helped bring money to the house by picking cotton in the Louisiana delta cotton fields during the summer and sometimes before school. It created within him a work ethic that was unmatched and an appreciation for the value of education. In 1963, he graduated from his beloved McCall High School, where he was a contributing member of the famed McCall High School Dragons basketball team. After high school, Jonas and James received a basketball scholarship to Natchez Junior College in Natchez, Mississippi. They would both transfer to Mississippi Valley State University and graduate with degrees in Social Studies in 1967.
After college, Jonas relocated to what would become his life-long home – Meridian,
Mississippi. He began teaching at the segregated TJ Harris High School and would
then become a mainstay at Meridian High School following integration. Jonas impacted the lives of multiple generations of students in Meridian, Mississippi and retired in 2006 after thirty-eight years of teaching.
While teaching in Meridian, Jonas became enamored with a beautiful young teacher
who had also relocated to Meridian. He and Hargie Davis dated for seven years before they finally married in June 1977. For Hargie, he was not only a husband - he was her cook, yard man, after-work counselor, and her chauffeur. They had two children, Jonas Jr. and Joni, who Jonas showered with love and support until his very last breath. Joni would follow his footsteps, becoming a nationally recognized basketball player and coach. Jonas Jr. followed his footsteps, becoming a social studies teacher and co-worker at Meridian High School. When Jonas’s twin brother passed away, he helped take care of his nephew, James III (JC). From a young age through high school, JC would come from Natchez and spend every summer in Meridian.
Away from school, Jonas had many passions. He loved all things sports and would
spend quite a bit of time glued to the couch watching college football, college
basketball, the NFL, the NBA, WNBA, tennis, and even golf after Tiger Woods became
a phenomenon. Jonas loved to cook and entertain his friends, family members, or the friends of his children. He and Hargie both enjoyed playing bid whist and poker, and created a local card group in Meridian where each member would rotate hosting card games at their homes each month. He had a love for a very wide range of music but loved 60’s R&B Soul, Motown, and gospel music. In retirement, Jonas would spend a great bit of his free time watching old westerns with Hargie and any new action series on Netflix. In early mornings, you were most likely to find Jonas walking down the aisles of Walmart, Winn Dixie, or Sam’s Club. Sometimes shopping, sometimes scoping out the sales on steaks and items in the meat counter. Most times, however, he was there to walk around, be nosey, and people watch.
Jonas’s two beautiful granddaughters, Jacie and Drew, became the new loves of his life. As their “PawPaw”, he cooked for them and took his responsibility seriously of
transporting them to school, summer programs, dance, gymnastics, and anywhere else they needed to go. He even postponed a much-needed knee replacement surgery because he feared he wouldn’t be able to drive for them. As infants, Jonas would read to them until they fell asleep and remain in the room to make sure they were resting peacefully. When they were older it was not uncommon to find them sitting or falling asleep in his lap while on the recliner.
Jonas peacefully and willingly entered into his eternal rest on Monday, July 27, 2026 in College Station, Texas. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 49 years, Hargie; son and namesake, Jonas Crenshaw, Jr. - Philadelphia, PA; his beloved daughter, Joni
(Darius) Taylor - College Station, TX; nephew-son, James “JC” Crenshaw, III of Natchez, MS; beautiful granddaughters, Jacie and Drew Taylor, goddaughter, Angela
Malone, McQuarley - Meridian, MS; godson, David Demetrius Wilson - Kansas City,
MO; goddaughter, Joya Marie Johnson – Jackson, MS; special cousin, Angelic Mister -
Memphis, TN; his extra St. Paul United Methodist Church Children, Angela Jones –
College Station, TX; Eris Sims – Los Angeles, CA; Dr. Jamese Sims- Starkville, MS;
Kletina (Paul) Campbell – Meridian, MS; Christiana (Ivy) Williams – Ridgeland, MS; Dr.
Anjali Camara – Chicago, IL; and countless other friends, family, and students whose
lives were impacted by his work.
What’s your fondest memory of Jonas?
What’s a lesson you learned from Jonas?
Share a story where Jonas' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Jonas you’ll never forget.
How did Jonas make you smile?
