Jessie Kay Jones

Jessie Jones (8/21/1950 - 3/20/2026)

Jessie Jones - Playwright, actress and damn fine cook, has made her final exit, stage left, leaving behind hit comedies, memorable performances, and recipes so delicious it would make your mouth jealous of your stomach. Jessie - witty, stylish and exceedingly kind and gracious to all - was the very definition of the word 'vivacious'. She died at seventy-five after a long illness, and the loss of Jessie Jones from our ranks leaves us down one seriously fabulous human.

Born and raised in the panhandle of Texas, Jessie was the middle of three sisters (the blonde one), the daughter of Edward and Jane Jones. When she was in high school, she won an essay/speech contest that led her to travel with other winners from Texas to Washington, DC. This one event changed everything for her. She was in awe of the city and vowed that one day she would live there. (And eventually she did, but not before she had lived in Los Angeles, San Francisco (twice), New York City (also twice), and Asheville, NC.) Her years in high school and college - University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'em, Horns!) - were filled with theatre and design, and okay, perhaps a healthy dose of naughty fun (It was the late 1960's - come on!) Austin played a large part in her life. Not only did she work for President Lyndon Johnson and Ladybird (whom Jessie always called The Bird) at their television station there, but Austin is where, as a local dramatic theatre star, she first met and became dearest of friends with Nicholas Hope Wilkinson, who asked her to be the lead in his play, A Friend of the Family. She agreed, and the two of them were so determined to move to New York and make theatre their life, that they set up shop in a small town in Texas and made cheesecakes from scratch to sell and deliver. Business boomed. And they actually did finance their entire move to NYC that way. Impressive, right? Not to mention delicious.

Jessie, known for her large and vibrant blue eyes, had quick success as an actress in regional and professional theatres around the country, but found her greatest and most impactful acting achievements once she headed west to Hollywood. From the 1980's to 2005, there was rarely a television series on which she didn't appear. Jessie enjoyed juicy roles on Night Court, Newhart, Designing Women, Murphy Brown (a glorious role as the infamous Betty Hooley taking on Candice Bergen's Murphy. Season 3, Episode 1 - check it out!), Who's the Boss, Perfect Strangers, Fudge (with the beloved Florence Henderson), Grace Under Fire, Melrose Place, Judging Amy and Cold Case among many, many others. And that's not even mentioning the plethora of TV movies she was in, including The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom, Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Baby Jessica (where she starred alongside Patty Duke and Beau Bridges), and the TV movie which for some strange reason she always received the most residuals: the wonderfully titled Wife, Mother, Murderer. And if all those acting jobs weren't enough to keep her busy, she also penned episodes of the WB sitcom For Your Love and installments of the Emmy-winning children's series Teacher's Pet, starring Nathan Lane. And in her spare time (!) she also taught acting to Playboy Bunnies (Hey, call it an act of charity.)

The art of writing comedy is where Jessie Jones found her most enduring, and certainly most explosive, success. She co-created the Southern funeral comedy sensation Dearly Departed which not only played Off-Broadway but went on to do amazing business in theatres all across the country, with some theatres producing the play three or four separate times over the past few decades. She then co-authored the screenplay version for the hit Fox Searchlight film adaptation, Kingdom Come, starring Whoopi Goldberg and LL Cool J. Suddenly Jessie was hip, baby!

After all that hard work, Jessie took a step back from the fast pace to enjoy other pursuits, like enrolling in the Los Angeles Culinary Academy (told you she could cook), becoming a devoted and talented Salsa dancer, and enjoying various exciting romantic escapades (you know, as one does). Jessie also enjoyed a lot (and we do mean, a lot) of world travel, visiting places as far-flung as New Zealand, Morocco, Thailand, Russia, Norway, Argentina, the Galapagos, Turkey, Cambodia, Gibraltar, China, Croatia, the woman even went to Easter Island, people! She has seen some places. But after a life lived that fully and beautifully, her greatest act was about to begin...

Jessie decided to leave Hollywood and return to the theatre to write comedies full-time, and she chose for her partners in this venture her best friend Nick, and the Southern born-and-bred sitcom writer, Jamie Wooten. Together they formed a writing triumvirate - Jones Hope Wooten - specializing in Southern-flavored comedies. And they became that rarest of playwrights - wildly successful ones. Their laugh-out-loud plays, like The Sweet Delilah Swim Club, The Red Velvet Cake War, Christmas Belles, The Savannah Sipping Society and twenty-six other titles in their vast catalogue, have been produced in every state in America, as well as twenty-five other countries, have entertained millions of theatregoers all over the planet, and have been translated into many languages, including Japanese and Bulgarian. And the trio made many lifelong friends along the way with the wonderful souls who are always drawn to being a part of their local theatre.

There is never a weekend where several Jones Hope Wooten shows aren't playing somewhere. The Jones Hope Wooten motto has always been, 'Making the World a Happier Place'. With the hilarious Ms. Jones leading the way, she certainly did that, and more. Between the Jones Hope Wooten Comedies and Dearly Departed, plays written by Jessie Jones have been performed well over 100,000 times on stages all over the world. (Take that in. Catch your breath.) Simply put, Jessie Jones was the most-produced female playwright in America. Savor that staggering achievement. Her remarkable body of work will live on and will continue to bring joy to theatregoers for decades to come.

Survivors include her younger sister, Ellen Jones (and her husband Jim McCarthy) and her big sister, Laura Jones. She is also survived by her niece Margaret McCarthy, and her nephews Tommy McCarthy, Todd Hyso (Jeri Ann) and Paul Hyso (Meri Dawn), grand-nieces and cousins, and her writing and travel partner and dear friend, Jamie Wooten, and her many close friends around the globe as well as her treasured extended theatre family.

At Jessie's request, there will be no official celebration of her life. Jessie felt every performance of one of her plays was a celebration, so she's covered. But we feel she wouldn't mind if perhaps you gather with others who loved her and raise a glass in her honor, or remember her when you play with a rambunctious puppy, or when you wear something the shade of spring green or soft orange - Jessie's signature colors! - or by donning your most stylish scarf and shades and confidently popping up your collar, or by supporting your local theatre by going to see any show there, or just by thinking of her every once in a while with a sly smile.

Some of Jessie's ashes will be scattered in the city that always tugged at her heart - Rome, Italy - with the remainder to eventually be combined with those of her lifelong companions, partners and dearly beloved friends, Nick and Jamie. How perfectly theatrical that this trio will be united once more and scattered together in the beautiful blue waters off the coast of Hanalei, Kauai.

In lieu of flowers or baked goods or whatever you might be thinking, Jessie has requested that you make contributions to her favorite charity - one she supported her entire adult life - and one that absolutely needs your support right now. So please show your love for Jessie Jones by donating to Planned Parenthood: plannedparenthood.org or weareplannedparenthood.org

Jessie lit up every room she ever walked into, where her sparkling conversational skills were put on dazzling display. The woman never met a stranger. This incredibly gregarious and talented lady showed us all how to live a life fully, passionately and purposefully. Jessie's final word was 'beautiful'. And that couldn't have been more apt - not only was Jessie beautiful inside and out, but 'beautiful' is how her time on this planet turned out to be. May she enjoy endless curtain calls and standing ovations on that celestial stage somewhere out there for eternity. Jessie was always a star. Simply look up into the clear night sky to see where she has assumed her rightful place.

Jessie Kay Jones was here! Her life truly mattered. Weren't we all fortunate to have been a part of her story? Jessie Jones did something amazing with her one wild and precious life: she made the world laugh. What a legacy and gift to leave behind to a world that needs that now more than ever.