On June 26, 1946, a little girl was born to Ora Manda Rusk Joiner and Buford Clarence Joiner, Jeanette Rosanell, in the little town of Five Points, Tennessee. She was the fourth in line of five children. She was a precious little thing known many times to throw tantrums in order to get her way. A pattern that wouldn’t change much throughout her life.
She attended Five Points Elementary School and went on to play basketball for the Lady Mustangs… a team that she would later drop out from because of her self-admitted temper. She graduated from Loretto High School in 1964. With a major in home economics, where she learned that she was a gifted seamstress and tailor. A skill she would use most all her life. I can remember pointing to clothes I wanted and we couldn’t afford in the Spiegel catalog, and she would buy fabric from Hancock in Florence, Alabama , sit down with brown grocery bags to make patterns and create something beautiful with her bare hands. Although there’s a four-year difference in our ages, Mom would sometimes dress my brother and me alike. There are pictures of us dressed like something you’d see hanging in a living room window on a rod. Remember, we grew up in the 70s.
She met and married Robert David Cox on January 19, 1965, then moved to Toledo, Ohio, with my father for work, where she later gave birth to her first son, David Dwight, in ‘67. After discovering she was with child again, they moved back to Five Points and gave birth to Danny Dwayne in ‘71. The twenty-year marriage ended in divorce in 1989.
At the age of 50 something, she would meet and marry a saintly man named Yearl Kirby. Oh, did that man ever have patience…. My mom wasn’t always everyone’s favorite person; she had no filter and always had an opinion, which she voiced whether you liked it or not. She came from a long line of grumblers, bitchers, and hell raisers. Yearl would just smile, let her have her rant, and go about his way. He would prove to be the love of her life. She lost him to COVID in October of 2020.
After the death of her husband, Yearl, Mom was forced to become independent; being alone was something she never liked but ultimately made her a stronger, more determined woman. She set her focus on church and a community of friends. You’d find her every morning having breakfast with her friends at Hardee’s.
In her late seventies, she developed breast cancer, and at her own stubborn insistence, she drove herself for treatments to Columbia Tn. I told you she always saw fit to have her way. She beat the cancer, a determined woman, need I remind you.
On June 18, she had a tragic accident which would have killed most anyone. Not my mom; she was sitting on a table in the ER having staples put in her head while asking me “when am I getting my hair done?” Not today, Mom… not today. You see, she was a fighter… she later succumbed to the internal trauma caused by the accident.
These last 10 weeks have been a time of reminiscing, reflection, laughter, tears and healing. Jeanette Cox Kirby wasn’t for everyone, but she was hardworking and honest; she was my mom.
Mrs. Kirby was survived by 2 Sons- Dwight Cox of Florence, AL and Danny Cox of Five Points, TN; Brother- Harvey Joiner of Nashville, TN; 5 Grandchildren- Nathaniel Cox, Isaac Cox, Seth Cox, Foster Cox, & Fletcher Cox; 2 Great Grandchildren- Emmy & Flint Cox
Preceded in death by: Husband- Yearl Kirby; Brother- Marvin Joiner; Sisters- Bernice Nesmith & Jenice White
Visitation with the family will be on Thursday, August 27, 2026 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Loretto Memorial Chapel.
