“Beams of Heaven, as I go through this wilderness below. Guide my feet….”

Katie M. Jones Love, “Songbird,” was born on April 22, 1931, the second of five children to the union of the Reverend Charles William Jones and his wife, Susie Jones in Germantown, Tennessee. Having been led, as she believed and upon the profession of her faith, Katie was baptized at the age of five. It was soon thereafter, that her love for music and an angelic voice were discovered. The family subsequently re-located to Chicago where she continued her education. Katie attended McKinley High School, where she sang in the school choruses and graduated as Class Vocalist. She attended Chicago Teacher’s College where she won a scholarship to the Chicago Conservatory of Music. In fact, while studying at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, she was once touted as the next “Marion Anderson.” It was in Chicago that her voice caught the ear of Abner Love, Jr, and on August 23, 1953 she married the love of her life. This union was blessed with five children. Katie loved to sing and had an outstanding soprano voice! Katie sang with the Marshall Field Choral Society, appearing in “Handel’s Messiah; the Kennedy-King Community Choir and the New York Opera Company, appearing in the Opera “Aida.”. She regularly performed on Public Television in Chicago with the “Sunday Evening Club.” She was also a featured soloist at the “Musical Extravaganza” of the Shiloh Baptist Church, held in the Chicago Civic Opera House, and sang with the Civic Opera House in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her love for church choirs was always primary, beginning at the Mt. Union Baptist Church, then Shiloh Baptist Church, Lilydale First Baptist Church; all of Chicago, and Union Baptist Church of Kemper Springs, Mississippi. At the Union Baptist Church, she served as Choir Director and taught piano to many young people. The Lord came for His “songbird” on October 12, 2019 Katie’s memory will be cherished by her loving and devoted husband of 66 years, Abner; Five children: Reverend Alvin (Carolyn); Reverend Joel (Diane); Stephen (Ruth), Kenneth (Renee) and April; Seven grandchildren; and 13 1/2 great-grandchildren; She also leaves to cherish her memory, her siblings: Reverend John Paul Jones (Almeta); Charlotte Henry; Mary Ann Bernard; Denise Griffin; Reverend Mark A. Jones (Valda); Heather McLemore (David) and Jamaal Jones (Kimberly). Helping her to rejoice in heaven are her siblings who preceded her in death: Augusta Hudson, William Charles Jones and Reverend Fred Jones. She also leaves to cherish her memory, many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great-nephews and a host of other relatives and friends.