Emma Jeanetta Colston

Emma Jeanetta Colston, née Cummins, age 99, of Decatur, Georgia, passed peacefully at her home on March 12, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Born on August 3, 1926, in Bracken County, Kentucky, Jeanetta was the daughter of the late W.E. “Ed” Cummins and Mary Elizabeth Collier. Known affectionately as Jeanette, she was a devoted mother to her daughter Verna Colston, a cherished sister to Garnet Hutchinson, Sue Carolyn Hopperton, and Patricia E. McNay, and a loving aunt and great-aunt. She was preceded in death by her husband, James Verner Colston, her parents, and her siblings Margaret Fortner, Cecil Cummins, and Kenneth “Buster” Cummins.

Jeanetta met her future husband, Jim, through mutual friends in the community. Together with their daughter Verna, they made their home in Latonia, Kentucky, where she was actively involved as a volunteer in her daughter’s school district. In 1964, the family relocated to Georgia for Jim’s employment. Jeanetta then began working in food service for the DeKalb County School System, where she served for twenty-five years. She was a longtime member of Scott Boulevard Baptist Church in Decatur.

She leaves behind a legacy of quiet strength, faithful service, and deep devotion to her family.