Constance Annette Jones

Constance Annette “Connie” Jones, lovingly known to so many simply as “Mimi,” passed away peacefully on August 10, 2026, at the age of 80.

Connie was born September 26, 1945, to Charles W. “Pap” Burcham and Marchetta “Nan” Burcham. She grew up alongside her brother, Charles W. “Willie” Burcham Jr., and sister, Barbara J. Burcham. Her childhood took her from Edinburgh, Indiana, to several places around the country as her family moved for her father’s work.

While living in Florida as a young woman, Connie met Bob Jones shortly before the Vietnam War. The two married, and while Connie attended beauty school, Bob joined the United States Marine Corps and went off to war. After their marriage later ended, Connie returned to her parents, who were then living in Illinois. It was there, in Lake Forest, that she welcomed her only daughter, Tammie.

The family eventually returned to Indiana, settling in Indianapolis, where Connie turned her talent and love of beauty into a career. She opened her own salon in Speedway, fittingly named Coiffures by Connie, which she proudly owned and operated for more than a decade.

When carpal tunnel made it impossible for her to continue doing hair, Connie began a new chapter working as the office manager for her father’s company, BCB Water Conditioning. Even the name reflected the closeness of the family: BCB stood for Bill, Connie and Barb. She later continued her working life in bookkeeping and administrative roles, including positions with Sport Graphics and Mt. Comfort Church.

But of all the roles Connie held throughout her life, none meant more than those she held within her family.

She was Mom to her only daughter, Tammie “Gigi” Sparks and her husband, Andy “Papaw” Sparks, and Mimi to the generations who followed. Connie played an especially important role in helping Tammie raise her children, Sarah and Jesse, creating a bond between grandmother and grandchildren that remained extraordinarily close throughout her life.

She leaves behind her grandchildren, Sarah Richardson (Aaron), Jesse Reed (Kayla), Cody Sparks (Lauren), Shane Sparks (Amanda), and Madisson Pusateri (Kevin); and her beloved great-grandchildren, Claire, Lily, Sophia and Phoebe Richardson; Scarlett and Juniper Reed; Quinn and Jack Sparks, with another little one expected soon; and Ayden Alley and Adalynn Pusateri.

She is also survived by her sister, Barbara J. Burcham (Christine).

Connie was preceded in death by her parents, Charles W. “Pap” and Marchetta “Nan” Burcham, and her brother, Charles W. “Willie” Burcham Jr.

Beyond her work and the many roles she held throughout her life, Connie was creative, curious, and deeply connected to the beauty she found in the world around her. She loved nature, the ocean and the beach, crystals, art, and music. She loved to sketch and would sometimes drive the country roads simply looking for old barns to draw. She also played guitar, adding her own music to a family where songs, instruments, and singing have been passed from one generation to the next.

During Connie’s final days, she was surrounded by the voices, stories, songs, and love of her family. On August 10, with her daughter Tammie and granddaughter Sarah beside her, music playing softly in the room, Connie peacefully left this life.

And somehow, in a moment her family will carry with them forever, “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” was playing as she went.

Her family will gather to celebrate Connie’s life on September 26, 2026—what would have been her 81st birthday—from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at the Sparks family home, Wilkinson, Indiana.

Following a celebration of her life, family and friends will gather as the sun goes down around a memorial tree planted in Mimi’s honor and surround it with the light of luminaries—a place where her memory can continue to grow, bloom, and shine.

To some, she was Connie.

To so many others, she was simply Mimi.

And that little name carries a lifetime of love.

Somewhere beyond the sea… 🌊