“Treat other people the way that you want to be treated, and you’ll get very far in life,” advised Kutrinah Nelson-Jones. “Even if you are having a bad day, you don’t always have to show it because you never know what the next person may be going through. I just believe in being nice to each other; respect is number one. You have to respect yourself, and everything else will fall in place.”
Kutrinah Nelson-Jones has a passion for helping others and never misses an opportunity to show love and kindness to brighten someone’s day. Her heart for others has allowed her to volunteer her time in different capacities over the years.
“I love helping older people, and I love kids,” explained Kutrinah. “I had one moment where I was working at the Boys and Girls Club, and I had a child there that began to choke. I had to do CPR on him. That was in 1997. I volunteered at the one in Quitman, but it shut down. I went to the one in Meridian and stayed there for about two years. I had the teenagers. I worked with the teenagers, and it wasn’t that bad.I also have a passion for older people. If I see one at the store who needs help with groceries and putting them in a vehicle, I just love helping them with it. I pray one day when I get older someone would do the same for me.”
Her passion for others has carried over into her work. She has always been a hard worker and enjoyed doing jobs that allow her to interact with and assist the public. Not only has she volunteered different places, but at one point she also maintained a job that is vital for people in emergencies.
“I’ve always been a people person. My first job was at Bumpers, and I was 16. I worked at Bumpers and then left Bumpers and started dealing with working in stores. I worked at Murphey’s for 13 years in Waynesboro as assistant manager,” recalled Kutrinah. “I was a dispatcher in Quitman for a year. I stopped dispatching when I got pregnant with my twins.”
Once she stopped dispatching, she took a break from working for a little while to raise her children. In April of 2021 she decided to take on a new job that many can now recognize her from: working for the Town of Shubuta.
“I started as deputy clerk in April, and then I became the city clerk in November,” informed Kutrinah. “I love working with the people. It’s a challenge, but I like challenges and overcoming them. I’m a people person and love working with the public. I like to brighten people’s day. They can come in here and have a nasty attitude fussing about their water bill, and you can kill it with a smile. I’ve learned to just let them vent. Once you hear what they have to say and they see that you won’t be ugly, they start to examine themselves.”
While she stays busy with work, Kutrinah loves her family tremendously and enjoys spending time with them as much as she can. In fact, she has made some great memories with her family over the years.
“I’m married to Jeffrey Jones, and I have three kids. I have twins,” stated Kutrinah. “I’m the oldest of four children. I have three sisters. I went to Vegas and really enjoyed that because it was like a sisters’ trip. It was fun. We just walked the strip, went to the casino, and just had fun. This year, we gave my mom a surprise birthday dinner. That was exciting because she had never had a birthday dinner. She thought she was just going shopping at WalMart, and we surprised her.”
There are things she enjoys doing in any free time she may have. Other than shopping, Kutrinah enjoys spending time outdoors. As long as there is someone there to help her with one small thing, she has one particular outdoor hobby she loves doing.
“I love to go fishing,” proclaimed Kutrinah. “I’m not gonna bait my own hook, but I love to go fishing. I love to bream fish. I’m not going deep seaing, though.”
No matter what she does, Kutrinah does her best to make others smile. She will continue to be encouraging and motivate others as much as she can each day.
If you would like to nominate someone for Person of the Week, contact Brittney Mangum at 601-776-3726.
