“Queen” Jayne Regina Tyson was born in Harlem, New York on September 5, 1939, to Anne Elizabeth Grace and James Tyson of Hawkinsville, Georgia. She was the third of five sisters and one brother and an identical twin.

She graduated from Washington Irving High School before earning her Associate Degree and Bachelor of Science degree from Mercy College and her Master’s degree in political and Urban Science from Brooklyn College.

Jayne spent her career as a blood bank technologist at various hospitals in New York including Harlem Hospital, New York Medical College, and New York Colombia Presbyterian from where she ultimately retired. She served her colleagues as a 1199SEIU delegate during her working years fighting for workers’ rights and joining marches all over the United States.

She led an active life spending time with her family helping raise her nieces and nephews taking them anywhere they needed or wanted to go from ballet practice to Disney which was one of her favorite places in the world. She continued this when the love of her life her only son Jabari was born. Jayne sacrificed to give him the best upbringing exposing him to everything from theater, to sports, to music, to her love for travel by taking him all over the world. She sent him to Catholic school so he would be raised in her faith and then to the Ivy League and law school.

Throughout her life, Jayne loved to travel and toured the world from Europe to Asia finally making it to her beloved China. Through her job and travels, she made friends from all over the world. In her retirement, she made even more friends attending the annual Twins Days Festival with her identical twin Joyce. “Jazzy” Jayne as she was known, along with “Jolly” Joyce also founded a chapter of the Red Hat Society, the Dynamite Divas, where they served as Queens.

In her retirement living in the Poconos, Jayne continued to be active in civic organizations and politics including the AARP and African American Network. She also cared for her family’s next generation with her grandnieces and grandnephews taking them camping with the Boy Scouts and traveling on cruises. She loved the holidays, especially Christmas where she was known for her decorations, Santa hats, generosity to charities like St. Jude’s Hospital, and for her famous shrimp fried rice.

She suffered a terrible accident that took her from us in 2020 but she fought hard to come back to us for an encore performance after months in the ICU. She spent that time doing what she loved: shopping, being involved in politics, watching her beloved MSNBC, spending time with her family, telling jokes, playing computer games especially Words with Friends, and being loved by her family until God called her home on September 15, 2022, just after her 83rd birthday passing where she lived her life and where she will be buried in the Bronx, New York. Her final wish was that Amazing Grace is played in her honor and for everyone to love each other as she loved them.

Jayne is predeceased by her mother and father; her older sister Constance Pratt; and her niece Stacy Miller. She is survived and forever loved by her only loving son, Jabari-Jason Tyson-Phipps; her identical twin Joyce Henderson; her sisters Aretha Gracie Miller and Sandra Hansard; her brother James “Junior” Tyson Shabazz; her nephews Troy Pratt, Todd Pratt, and Craig Henderson; her nieces Jamillah Shabazz, Chinque Henderson, Kimberly Hansard- Bailey, and Chermir Henderson; numerous grandnephews and grandnieces; as well as extended family and friends from all over the world.

Queen Jayne loved God, her family, and her friends. She will be missed and loved forever by all.

✟Rest in Power Queen Jayne✟