> At a Glance
> – Sheinelle Jones announced her grandmother Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown died on New Year’s Eve at 96
> – Brown’s death follows Jones’ husband Uche Ojeh‘s passing in May 2025 from glioblastoma at 45
> – Why it matters: The double loss spotlights how public figures navigate grief while inspiring others
Sheinelle Jones is facing fresh heartache. The Today with Jenna & Sheinelle host shared on January 3 that her grandmother-her “best buddy”-died just seven months after her husband’s death.
A Trailblazing Grandmother
Jones honored Josephine Vonceal Pace Brown as the first Black woman elected to her local Board of Education, a classically trained pianist, and longtime church music director.
Brown founded the touring choir A.R.I.S.E. (African Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble), performing from Washington, D.C., to Paris. Jones credits her grandmother’s early encouragement for her own broadcast career, recalling how Brown “lit up” when fifth-grade Sheinelle declared she wanted to be a news reporter.
- First Black woman on the Board of Education
- Directed church music ministry for decades
- Created A.R.I.S.E. choir still performing today
Life After Loss
The TV anchor called 2024-25 “a beautiful nightmare.” After Ojeh’s glioblastoma diagnosis and death, Jones told viewers she takes grief “day to day” while parenting their three children: Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.
She believes “Uche’s heartbeat lives on in mine” and urges others to “squeeze the most out of the days that we have.”
Key Takeaways
- Jones lost both her husband and grandmother within seven months
- Brown, 96, was a pioneering educator and musician
- Jones publicly shares her grief to encourage others facing loss
Heaven has “a new choir director,” Jones wrote, and her family “a new angel.”
