She was born in Savannah, TN and grew up in Memphis, TN, the daughter of the late Raymond Henry and Edna Mozelle Hart Hughes. She graduated Frazier High School in 1971. She worked for the I.R.S. in Memphis for 5 or 6 years and then was a office manager for Champion Auto Sales, until poor health forced her to retire in 2004.
She is survived by two brothers; Donnie Hughes and Derek Hughes both of Memphis.