Obituaries

Therese ‘Terry’ Pounds (Joiner): 1927-2024

Therese “Terry” Pounds (Joiner), 97, of Montclair, NJ died peacefully surrounded by family at Mountainside Hospital on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin and friend, Terry was born a ‘survivor,’ having lost her mother who died soon after her birth in 1927 in New York City. She subsequently lived all over the world as a self-described “army brat” after her father, Colonel Talley Dosier Joiner, remarried and reclaimed “his little Therese” from her aunts who raised her until she was six. After graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, NJ, Terry briefly attended college at Trinity, DC, then decided to go to Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School in NJ. The skills she learned there served her well at her first secretarial jobs in Manhattan, then later at Montclair Kimberly Academy in Montclair where she worked for almost twenty years in the Office of External Affairs. She was proud of her mastery of the rules of English grammar, and many relied on her to proofread their letters. After the death of her husband in 1978, Terry set up a Montclair chapter of THEOS, a nationwide non-denominational support group for widowed men and women. She ran the group for approximately ten years and created friendships from that work that lasted until her death. She was also involved with the Friends of Barnet and the Montclair Fine Arts Festival.

Terry was predeceased in death by her husband, Donald Pounds, her son Richard, her beloved companions, Arthur Jones and Fred Berinato, and her sisters Lucy and Claire. She is survived by her son Donald Pounds and his companion Patrice Holtzer, daughter Mary Pounds Sisler, daughter-in-law Bette Pounds, sons James Pounds (Bethany) and Thomas Pounds (Liljana), daughter Virginia Pounds, sons Michael Pounds (Catherine) and John Pounds. She was the proud grandmother of sixteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren: Katy, Austin, Colleen, Connor, Jordan, Jason, Jeremy, Natalie, Anika, Evan, Noah, Ben, Eli, Max, Harper and Nolan; Scarlett, Emma, Carson, Peyton and Wesley. She is also survived by a large extended family and countless friends.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, November 9 at 10 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Church, 30 N. Fullerton Ave., Montclair, NJ 07042, followed by interment of ashes at Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Upper Montclair.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Terry’s name to The Release Recovery Foundation at: https://donate.hakuapp.com/donations/new?fundraising_effort=in-loving-memory-of-therese-terry-pounds.

Rolita Marie Noble

10/5/1959 - 8/6/2025

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Obituary For Rolita Marie Noble

Rolita Noble Obituary

Rolita Marie Dennis Noble “RO”, 65, made her transition on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at 11:45 p.m. at Hospice of Northwest Ohio – Toledo.

She was a beloved Sister, Mother, Aunt, Great-Aunt, Daughter, Sister-in-law, Cousin, Mentor, Life Coach, Advocate, Protestor, and Friend.

Born October 5, 1959, in Toledo, Ohio, to Roland “Ronny” and Barbara Jean “BJ” Dennis Shaw, Rolita lived a life full of passion, creativity, and service.

Her education began at Lincoln Elementary and Martin Luther King Elementary, where she played piano and violin. She later attended Robinson Junior High as a flute player in the band, then Jesup W. Scott High School, where she continued in the band under Gus Walker. Rolita went on to study at the University of Toledo.

Rolita’s professional career began at the Toledo Lucas County Jail, working in the library circulation program. She later transitioned to the public library system, serving as the Circulation Supervisor at Mott Branch Library for many years. She remained there until stepping away after the birth of her second child, to focus on her daughter’s medical needs.

Rolita had countless passions. She was an avid reader and writer, and her love of music was boundless—Prince and Tupac were among her favorites. She loved ballroom and belly dancing, swam a mile every day, and could “lift weights like a man.” She and her friends often walked miles, sometimes for fun, and later in life to support breast cancer awareness. Her soothing voice made her a captivating reader, someone people could listen to endlessly. And lest we forget—she had an utter love of shoes.

Later in life, Rolita studied under Iyanla Vanzant, becoming a certified Life Coach and Reiki Practitioner.

She is survived by her two children, daughter Nzinga and son Luther Robert Valdez Cork, as well as her two cherished grandsons, Luther “Lil Robbie” and Nova Cork. She is also survived by her ex-husband, Lynn Noble; her sister Cletissia and her children—Evan (and his sons Evan and Emeka Shaw) and LeSean and Brittney (and their four children, Alivia, Aiden, Aliyah, and Avery Shaw); her Bonus Dad, Omar Bey of Washington D.C.; and cousin Oscar Hill.

She will be deeply missed by her lifelong friends BJ, Monica, Veda, Carmen, and Jennifer, as well as her Sista-Circle, formed in 1995: Sandra, Machi, BJ, Tess, Marcy, Pam, Deb and Heather.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Robert and Bessie Lee Hill and Mr. and Mrs. Ellis; her parents, Roland “Ronny” and Barbara Jean “BJ” Dennis Shaw; her godmother, Rose Ellis; and her youngest sister, Barbarella.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, August 29, 2025, from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. at Walker Funeral Homes & Crematory, 5155 W. Sylvania Ave., Toledo.

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