Delores Annette (Mixon) Jordan

Delores Jordan Obituary Delores Annette Mixon Jordan came into the world in Columbus Ohio on March 20, 1938. Being born on the first day of Spring set the tone for the woman, wife, mother and teacher she would eventually become. Just as Spring brings hope eternal, Delores was innately gifted to sow seeds of encouragement and foster growth and development in everyone she encountered. She nurtured dreams, aspirations and the highest ambitions resulting in great harvests for the fortunate beneficiaries of her love and kindness. Delores was the first born of Rev. LaClendon and Ida Mixon. The family was completed with Chester Bernard, Claudette Yvonne, Donald LeClendon and Clifford Gordon. Judith Ann and Michael Stephen both passed as infants. The Mixon family was raised with traditional Christian values in the historic American Addition, one of the oldest African American rural communities in central Ohio. Delores’ maternal grandmother Caledonia Vanlier had migrated there with her eleven children in the early 1900’s from Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee after the death of her husband Jonah Vanlier. From a very young age, it was instilled in Delores to always strive for excellence and seek better opportunities. She had a great respect for hard work, discipline and obedience. These governing values were cemented when Delores first accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Delores was a very good student at Central High School. On the weekends she worked as a bookkeeper for her father and another African American business owner. Even though she excelled in her studies and worked,she still found time to for a social life with her classmate and future husband, Eugene James Jordan. Delores graduated with honors in 1956 and drove the red convertible she had received for graduation to attend Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio. Delores was the first member of her family to attend college and she inspired and supported all her siblings to also attend Central State. Delores graduated from Central State University in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education. She returned home and began her elementary school teaching career. Delores’ romance with Eugene had continued while he attended Capital University and enlisted in the US Army. They married in 1961. Throughout her marriage Delores was a devoted, supportive and loyal wife. As a newlywed, she continued teaching and she and Eugene were blessed with daughter, Joy Ann and sons Martin Eugene and Michael Wayne while the family was living in Columbus. The Jordans relocated to Washington, D.C. when Eugene began Howard University College of Dentistry. After Eugene’s graduation the family wanted to return to Ohio and moved to Cleveland. They purchased their first home in University Heights in 1970. They were one of the early African American families in the city. 2 Delores began teaching at Chambers Elementary School in East Cleveland and the newly minted dentist Eugene started his dental practice in the same city. Delores loved East Cleveland and soon became part of the landscape. She was a devoted educator and began building life-long relationships with the families of her students. During this time Delores also helped to build her husband’s dental business by organically referring the families of her students to Jordan Dental Center. At home with her young family, Delores was a very attentive mother determined to expose her children to as many activities and cultural events as possible. She took them to concerts like the Jackson Five and Frankie Beverly. She took Marty and Mike to karate, football and baseball team practices. She also served as Den Mother to her son’s Cub Scout troop and took Joy to Girl Scout activities. Delores loved the domestic arts, gardening, growing vegetables and flowers and sewing curtains, Easter dresses and upholstering furniture. She was also very handy around the house and once broke her arm falling off a ladder fixing a windowpane. Delores took Joy to field hockey and John Powers Modeling School. They took tennis lessons together and they started music theory at the Cleveland Music School Settlement and together they quit before finishing the first year! To help her get acclimated to “adult socializing” Delores took teenage Joy and her friends to The Happy Apple Night Club and she stayed and watched to see what they would do. Delores was beloved by all her children’s friends and kept up with their lives just as she did her own children. She was fondly nicknamed “The Detective” because of her ability to “observe and report” on everyone in the neighborhood. Delores strived to confront racism and was very active in politics and diversity and inclusion activities to help the city of University Heights and the Cleveland Heights/University Heights schools be more equitable and accommodating for African Americans. She took her rich history and pride as a descendant from the American Addition with her in all her professional, social and civic activities. Delores loved to take her children on trips and they travelled the country in the family’s station wagon every summer. They had a fun tradition of getting out of the car to take pictures in front of the welcome signs in every state. Delores was fastidious about her children’s schoolwork, grammar and manners. She monitored and helped with all their projects, term papers and reports. She once even flew Joy home from college to review a term paper she was working on. The happiest days of her life were accompanied by Pomp and Circumstance as she watched Joy and Marty receive their Doctor of Dental Science degrees from Howard University College of Dentistry and Michael receive his Medical Doctor degree from Temple University School of Medicine. Her proudest accomplishment was having raised THREE DOCTORS. In the late 70’s Delores started teaching at Superior Elementary School and completed her master’s degree in Early Elementary Education at Case Western Reserve University. She also became an entrepreneur an opened the International House on Euclid Avenue in East Cleveland. Delores brought a historic mansion back to life operating a multiuse establishment, providing housing for exchange students from Africa, meetings, parties and other social events. Delores travelled internationally visiting London, Amsterdam and the Cayman Islands. Delores was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and retired from her beloved teaching in 1981. As her multiple sclerosis advanced Delores was blessed to begin residing with Joy. Delores was always involved in politics and she was especially proud to run her daughter Joy’s successful campaigns for East Cleveland 3 School Board and City Council. In her senior years, Delores still enjoyed socializing with her friends in her senior recreation group, T.R.A.P. enjoying visiting casinos and dining in fine restaurants. Delores endured declining health with much grace and dignity, for many years, being cared for by her daughter Joy. She passed peacefully at University Hospitals Richmond Medical Center on January 16, 2022. Left to cherish the memory of Delores Annette Mixon Jordan and honor her legacy are: Her children, Joy A. Jordan, D.D.S., Martin E. Jordan, D.D.S. (Laura), and Michael W. Jordan, M.D. Her siblings, Donald L. Mixon (Emily), Bernard Mixon (Sylvia), Yvonne Williams and Clifford G. Mixon. Her grandchildren, Mica Ellise Jordan, Mariah Elle Jordan, Michael Eugene Jordan, Taylor Rice, Tina Beasley, Rachelle Gray, Tayjah Gray, Kayla Harris, Audrey Davison. Her dear friends, Mary Walker and Fran Bailey and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Delores was proceeded in death by her loving caregiver and niece, Margo Floyd and her dear sisters-in-law, Emily Mixon, Delores Jordan, Sylvia Richards and Marjorie Jordan. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Delores Annette (Mixon) Jordan, please visit our floral store. Read More

Delores Annette (Mixon) Jordan

March 20, 1938 - January 16, 2022