Ava Nell Tonney

Ava Nell Tonney (née Anderson) left this world peacefully on December 19 at 93 years old after battling Alzheimer’s for nearly a decade. She was our wonderful, loving mother who had high expectations and always set the example. She was the beloved wife of 52 years to Fred Tonney (deceased), a fun, proud and doting grandmother, fond aunt and vibrant friend. Ava was born at home in Poplar Springs, TN to William Lee and Bertha Vinona Anderson (née Bush). She was the youngest of six children. As an infant she moved with her family to Yazoo City, MS. Ava left Yazoo City to attend college and was the only child in her family to do so due to the Great Depression and World War II.

As a recent graduate from Union University in Jackson, TN, Ava was hired by the Western Union company for busy, seasonal work – summers in Nantucket, MA and winters in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. It was in 1954 in Ft. Lauderdale that she met Frederick Rodger Tonney. They were married six months later in the First Methodist Church of Yazoo City and started their life together in his hometown of Chicago, IL where she worked for The Combined Insurance Company. Ava made lifelong friends wherever she lived and was known as an accomplished cook. From Chicago, she, Fred and their three children, Virginia, Melissa & Rick, moved to Indianapolis, IN and then to Atlanta, Ga. Ava was thrilled to be “back in the South.” She was a substitute school teacher for over 20 years, and they stayed in Atlanta until she and Fred retired to their home in Marco Island, Florida.

Ava enjoyed 30 years of fun in the sun on Marco. She made friends in the Newcomer’s Club, played bridge, hosted live-band parties by the pool, enjoyed Hideaway Beach Club, Fourth of July beach fireworks and graciously hosted family and friends from near and far. Two of the great joys of Ava’s later life were entertaining her twin grandsons in Marco and her elder daughter’s decision to move to Marco from California to enjoy life together and care for her in her later years. Even as her abilities declined, Ava was a happy person enjoying her home, big band and jazz music, her family, bright colors and walking her 2 miles/day.

Ava is survived by her three children, Virginia Lea Vacio (Al) of Marco Island, Melissa Tonney Murphy (Bill) of Tucson, AZ, and Frederick R. “Rick” Tonney, Jr. (Chloe) of Charleston, SC, her grandsons Michael Patrick and Matthew Evan Murphy of Tucson, AZ, her many nieces and nephews in Atlanta, Mississippi and Arkansas as well as by her dear friend Dorothy Kirk of Ozark, AL.

Funeral service: January 4, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at The United Church of Marco Island, 320 N. Barfield Dr., Marco Island, FL 34145 (mask and social distancing encouraged). Burial following at Marco Island Cemetery. Due to pandemic risk, no reception gathering will take place.

Arrangements entrusted to Hodges-Josberger Funeral Home, Marco Island, FL.

In lieu of flowers, please send your donation to The Alzheimer’s Association or a charity of your choice.