Sheinelle Jones had the support of her late husband, Uche Ojeh, while writing her new book.
“This book would not exist without my dear husband, Uche. He pushed me to do this on days when I wanted to give up because I didn’t think I had the time or bandwidth to see it to completion,” Jones, 47, wrote in Through Mom’s Eyes, which hit shelves on Tuesday, April 14.
Jones noted that Ojeh would “gently remind” her when a deadline was approaching, adding that “despite everything we were dealing with, on many days he seemed more passionate than I was to make it happen.”
“The truth is, I’ve had this book on my heart for a very long time,” she continued, “and I’m so thankful he believed in me and the stories I wanted to tell.”
In her new book, Jones features lessons from several moms of public figures that she gathered over the course of seven years. When Ojeh was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2023, he insisted she finish writing the book. (Jones’ Today series of the same name launched in 2018.)
“So here’s the deal, this was supposed to come out last spring and the truth is, my husband, Uche, got really sick while I was writing this, and he pushed me to keep going,” Jones shared during a March episode of Today. “So I delayed this for a year after he passed because I wanted to be with him and the kids but I promised him that I wouldn’t give this up.”
Jones went on to share a photo of Ojeh and her late grandmother, whom she said “believed in me most when we talk about this book.”
“You guys know I talk about grandmama all the time. She’s a very active character in this book. I just did the reading of it and she’s the last quote in this book. She ended up passing seven months after Uche. So what I have learned is that motherhood doesn’t stop, even in the hard times. And the wisdom in this book brought me comfort. So today, I am moving forward in their honor.”
Ojeh died in May 2025 at age 45. The couple shared son Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.
“I’ve had to learn, in the most brutal ways, about the fragility of life — and I’ve seen how (Uche) left his mark. It caused me to say, ‘OK, well, what do I want to leave? What kind of legacy do I want to build, and what do I want my children to know of me?’” Jones said to Today in an interview published on Monday, April 13, noting that her book is about answering those questions.
She continued, “My faith, resiliency, grit … all of these things, I wanted them to know about me. And, so, in some ways, this is what I set out to do.”
Through Mom’s Eyes is out now.
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