‘Bachelor’ pays tribute to NC college cafeteria worker. ‘Heaven gained an angel’
Tributes poured in after the death of a North Carolina college cafeteria worker — including from the star of “The Bachelor.”
Wake Forest University on Monday announced longtime campus dining employee Sharon Jones died after a fight with cancer.
“@WakeForest lost a special women today but heaven gained an angel - thank you for feeding our bodies & souls Ms. Sharon,” tweeted Matt James, the “Bachelor” on this season of the ABC TV series.
James attended Wake Forest, where stats show he redshirted as a freshman before playing football in the 2012 to 2014 seasons. He is a North Carolina native and graduated from Sanderson High School in Raleigh, The News & Observer reported.
The reality show star joined others in remembering the impact Jones had on the campus community at Wake Forest.
“Ms. Sharon was a huge Wake Forest Sports fan and treated each of the students as one of her own,” the university said in a Facebook post. “Her smile, warm hugs and funny stories will always be cherished and remembered. Ms. Sharon will be missed by all who knew her.”
For more than two decades, Jones was on the team at the Fresh Food Company, a dining hall that many call “The Pit,” according to the school. She worked for the food service provider Aramark and made her mark at the school that has roughly 8,700 students, a spokesperson told McClatchy News.
“Her smile made me feel at home when I got to Wake Forest without knowing a single soul,” one person wrote on Facebook. “The Pit was a place I actually loved spending time just eating, studying, and reading, so I saw her often. My deepest condolences to her family.”
Dozens of others took to social media to pay their respects and share their memories of Jones.
“Thank you for remembering this frontline worker,” one Facebook user wrote on the Winston-Salem school’s page. ”They are so often overlooked in large organizations, but they are truly the glue that holds an organization together. Rest In Peace, Ms. Jones.”
Another person wrote: “Oh, how I hope Miss Sharon’s family is reading these posts and knows how much she was loved and appreciated by so many of her colleagues. Sharon was an amazing person and so determined to beat that cancer!”
This story was originally published February 9, 2021 at 4:00 PM with the headline "‘Bachelor’ pays tribute to NC college cafeteria worker. ‘Heaven gained an angel’."
