Shirley Jones is an 86 year-old Academy Award-winning actress who has earned many accolades in the entertainment world. When it comes to what she feels are her biggest accomplishments in life, however, nothing compares to the blessings she receives as the loving mom of her three “wonderful sons,” Shaun, Ryan and Patrick.

“I’ve raised three wonderful sons who grew up to be great men of character and accomplishment,” Jones told Closer Weekly. “And I love visits with my grandchildren … I am an only child, so to have all this family is amazing. You have to enjoy this moment — the now — because that’s really all we have.”

Aside from her family, Jones still likes to look back at her movie roles and the many costars she’s appeared onscreen with during her sixty year career.

“Burt Lancaster was fantastic,” she said of her Elmer Gantry costar. “I adored him as an actor and adored him as a person.”

As she prepares to turn 87 later this month, Jones feels grateful to have had the many experiences that she’s had, saying, “You have to have a good time and enjoy life to the fullest. Before you know it, you’ll be 87.”

“The secret to happiness is laughter. A lot of laughter,” she added.

Many know Jones for her work on “The Partridge Family,” a role that she took so that she would no longer need to travel for work and could be home with her three sons.

I was first offered the role of Carol on ‘The Brady Bunch,’ but I didn’t want to be the mom pulling the roast out of the oven,” she explains. “On ‘The Partridge Family,’ I became the first working mom on TV.”

On the show, Jones enjoyed working with her stepson, David Cassidy, who sadly passed away in 2017.

“David and I had a great thing going then,” she recalled. “He would even come over to my house to help me out with my kids.”

Jones’ son Ryan sees this period as a happy one as well.

“I remember always wanting to go to the set with her. I was about 7 and had a crush on the little tambourine girl, Suzanne Crough [who played Tracy],” Ryan said. “Some of my favorite memories were spending the afternoon with my mom, watching them do scenes and playing in the bus. I loved pretending to drive the bus.”

These days, Jones is loving life as being the center of a family that is both large and loving.