VendiRei Jones

VendiRei Jhiretta Jones was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Lawrence and Pamela Jones on October 14, 1981. She moved with her family to Stone Mountain, Georgia, at the age of six, and received her early education in DeKalb County’s School System. She graduated from Parkview High School in Gwinnet County, Georgia, and then from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2004. Because VendiRei had a gift and strong passion for cooking, she then attended and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, becoming a classically trained chef. After graduating from the CIA, she moved back to West Chester, Ohio, to be with her family. VendiRei frequently demonstrated her skills preparing delightful, restaurant quality meals for her family, working in local restaurants and baking tarts for her business, Torta Bakery. She sold her tarts at local coffee shops and farmers markets and was affectionally referred to as “The Tart Lady” at West Chester Farmers Market.

In addition to her remarkable cooking skills, VendiRei was naturally talented in many areas, including her hobbies of gardening and wood-working. She was vibrant, funny and could find joy in the simple blessings of life. VendiRei’s

Christian faith was also an important part of her life. She was a member of Greenforest Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia, where she was baptized. She transitioned to membership at Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church when the family moved back to Ohio in 2002.

VendiRei was a lovely and loving person who was known to be kind, generous and empathetic, both to people she didn’t know and those with whom she was the closest. Her light and ever-present grace, wisdom, kindness, strength, humility and positivity made an impact on friends, family and acquaintances alike. That is her beautiful and amazing legacy and will be very much missed by all who knew and loved her.

VendiRei was a wonderful sister and daughter. She was a fiercely supportive cheerleader, the truest of friends and sweetest of blessings to her family. She is survived by: her mother and father, Lawrence and Pamela Jones; her sister, Lauren Jones; her godfather, John Ogletree; and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

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