Ivory Jefferson

Ivory Jefferson was born to the late Ben and Clint Jefferson on September 13, 1952, in Helena,
AR. Ivory kept a resilient spirit against his battle with cancer until his dying day. He quoted
often, “I won’t give up, but my body may give out.” Jesus came and took him home April 9,
2023. He was preceded in death by his late parents, Ben and Clint and Frank Morgan; his wife of
31 years, Napoleon Jefferson; his son, Ivory Jefferson, Jr.; his sister, Gloria Mitchell; and his
brothers, J.W. Jones and Willie Jones.

Ivory started his spiritual journey as a young lad at King Solomon Baptist Church and many
years later dedicated his life to Christ at Pilgrim Progress Baptist Church in 1991. During his
attendance, he served on the usher board.

Mr. Ivory, as many would call him, honed his feistiness which kept him busy. At a young age at
Miller Junior High School, he discovered a heart to work with his hands. Taking on a departure
while a just teenager, he traveled with several buddies, Jerry, Sammy Charles, Robert and Lloyd
to Detroit and Atlanta seeking to find viable work in construction. Though these adventures
were appealing, his focus was home, Phillips County, AR. There he bore his children.

More to his story, he eventually exercised a love of taking care of and maintaining the grounds
of St. Patrick Catholic Church in N.L.R. until his retirement in 2011. He also dabbled in
landscaping and gardening. If something needed repaired, Mr. Ivory knew how to take things
apart and figured out how to put them back together again. In his retirement years, he cheered
on his favorite football teams and enjoyed classic black and white episodes on GRIT tv.

He leaves to cherish his memories, his three daughters; Tracy (Curtis) Woods (Elizabethtown,
KY), Ollie (Shan) Jasper (Pine Bluff, AR), and Shaloni Anderson (Philadelphia, PA) and one son,
Travis Jefferson (NLR, AR); father-in-law James Golden (West Helena, AR); five sisters, Viola
Allen (West Helena, AR), Shirley Jefferson (Boston, MA), Dorothy (Bryon) Salzsieder (Boston,
MA), Georgia Heard (Corona, CA) and Bobby Pruitt (West Helena, AR); his six grandsons,
Anthony, Christian (CJ), Timothy, Tristan, Ahmad, and Jadon; one granddaughter, Kamora; and
a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Special thanks to his cancer-care team Carti-North Little Rock, Dr. Omer Kahlil, Dr. Christopher
Ross, and the Arkansas hospice team.

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