Second-Generation CEO Daphne Jones Dies at 76
Second generation leader expanded Milwaukee-based Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage
MILWAUKEE (October 22, 2026) – Daphne Jones, president and CEO of Milwaukee-based Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage, transitioned on Monday, October 19. She was 76 and died at home surrounded by family after an extended illness as a result of heart disease.
In a statement released by the family, her daughters, Dasha Kelly and Tamu Jones, remembered their mother as kind, generous, determined, magical and loving.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the transition of our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, Daphne Jones.
“Daphne Jones carried forward the legacy her parents began with determination, heart, and an unwavering commitment to growing their business across all 50 states. But her legacy extends far beyond her entrepreneurial success. She demonstrated that kindness and generosity cost nothing, yet their impact can multiply a hundredfold.
“Her team, business partners, neighbors, family, and friends will remember her not only as a successful small business owner, but as a woman of integrity who believed in Milwaukee, saw its potential, and was committed to making it a better place for everyone.
“To experience Daphne’s magical, inventive spirit and tenacious determination was to witness a woman who could see possibilities where others saw limitations. She had the heart, creativity, and courage to bring those possibilities to life.
“Though we will miss her presence, her laughter, and her joy, the love she shared, the lives she touched, and the example she set will live on in our hearts forever.”
Ms. Jones took over the business in 2007 following the death of her mother, who started the company in 1961 from her kitchen and then shifted to a store on N. 6th and W. Hadley streets in Harambee. Now located at 300 W. Walnut Street, Glorious Malone’s produces about 1,500 pounds of headcheese every week, shipping the product throughout the country.
Glorious Malone was the first Black woman to become both a state and federally-certified meat producer in the late 1970s. She battled city officials in the late 1980s when she wanted to build the company’s production facility in Bronzeville. The company opened its plant at the corner of W. Walnut and N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in 1993.
Under Daphne Jones’ leadership, the company had global ambitions and prospered under a new name. She told a reporter in a 2019 interview that it was a way of honoring her mother and her legacy. “I decided to rename it and call it ‘Glorious Malone’s Fine Sausage‘ because it had two meanings. It was her name, Glorious and it is a glorious product, right?”
The business was featured in a BMO Harris Bank national marketing campaign about small businesses in 2022. She described the company’s product in a Wisconsin PBS story three years ago. “Headcheese makes people’s minds think of all kinds of things. But if I can present it to you as ‘this is our gourmet pork delicacy,’ you might be able to say, okay, I might give it a try.”
The company will continue into the future as a family-owned and family-led company.
Daphne Jones was the oldest child of George and Glorious Malone. After graduating from Milwaukee Lutheran High School, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Human Resources from Park University outside of Kansas City, Mo. She also completed leadership programs at Cardinal Stritch University and Babson College.
She married Rodrick Jones in 1969 and they had two daughters, Dasha Kelly and Tamu Jones. They divorced in 2002. In 2022, she married Richard Byhre, who died in 2023. She is survived by her first husband, daughters, grandchildren Sydney Kelly and Myla Jones, siblings Denise Suttle and Derek Malone, and dozens of nieces and nephews.
Daphne Jones was named a Women of Influence by the Milwaukee Business Journal in 2018. She also received special recognition from Cong. Gwen Moore, the Governor’s Trailblazer Award from Gov. Scott Walker, and an Emerging Leaders proclamation from Mayor Tom Barrett.
A memorial celebration will take place in November.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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