Henry Etta O'Neal's Obituary
Early on, December 2, 1960, Alburnia Cecil Jones Johnson presented Henry Johnson with his first bundle of joy. Henry Etta Johnson O'Neal.
Henry Etta graduated in the top twenty of her class from Block High School in Jonesville, Louisiana in 1978. She then attended "The Southern University" in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she graduated with a BS in Management in the Fall of 1981.
At Southern, Henry Etta was very active and along with nine other young ladies reactivated the Beta Alpha Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Anyone that did not know Henry Etta's blood was blue and gold. did not know her.
Henry Etta then moved her residence to Dallas. Texas and stayed with her cousin Stan Johnson and his wife Barbara. She got her first job with North Park National Bank. This led to her meeting Gail Stein that invited her to First Baptist Hamilton Park, where she served as an Usher and Safety Team Member.
Henry Etta met Ronny O'Neal and was married on September 4, 1993 and to this union their bundle of joy was born, Jazmine NeCole O'Neal.
Henry Etta, known as Henry to her work community got her sense of humor from her father. She would always take a boring situation at work, crack a joke and everyone would be laughing. She was known in her sorority as the "voluntold soror" or the "two finger tap soror" and only a few would think before they moved to take action.
She held and served on several local, regional and national positions in her sorority.
Another proud moment, when her daughter became her soror. She served as the Dallas Chapter President twice for the local chapter. She was a member of the sorority for almost 50 years and a proud member of the Alpha Omicron Sigma Chapter for the majority of those years. She held the highest position in the region which was the 20'" Southwestern Regional Syntaktes (Director) of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. As a Southernite, Henry Etta was the first female Present of the Dallas Chapter and also served as the 3a Vice President on the national level. Henry Etta's last accomplishment on God's land was to organize and charter the North Dallas Suburbia Chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction in March of 2023.
Etta leaves to mourn her change of address, husband Ronny, daughter, Jazmine, sister Bernita (Michael) Stirgus, brother in law, Dewey Simpson, Duncanville, TX; brother in law, Rev. Nathan (Dana) O'Neal, Denver, CO; sister in law, Valeria (Tommy) Jones, Longview. TX; aunt, Susie Jones, Jena, LA; special cousins, Catrina Jones, Houston, TX, Cora McClendon, Garland, TX, Aisha McClendon, Garland, TX; classmate, Loria Hollins, Jonesville, LA;; Godmother, Rachel Henry: Royce City, TX:
Sorors of confidence Dr. Mynora J. Bryant, Lillie Reed and Mechelle Ware, church member, Sheila Daniels Wooten, special mentee, Graison Ware and a host of nieces nephews and cousins.
Etta was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Alburnia Johns grandparents, Jennie Johnson, Ruffin and Anner Liza Jones.
What’s your fondest memory of Henry?
What’s a lesson you learned from Henry?
Share a story where Henry's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Henry you’ll never forget.
How did Henry make you smile?