Mary Jones

A celebration of life for Mary J. Jones, 90 of Washington will be held Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 1:30PM at the Beatty Funeral Home in Washington with Pastor Virgil Jones officating. Burial will follow at the Schrock Cemetery in rural Washington. Visitation will be held Monday, September 10 from 5-7PM at the Beatty Funeral Home. A memorial fund has been established for Hospice of Washington County. Mary Jones died Saturday, September 8, 2012 at her home following a brief illness.

Mary Josephine Jones was born January 13, 1922 in Jones County, Iowa the daughter of Arthur and Blanche (Eilers) Hanssen. She was united in marriage to Ezra Jones on September 1, 1940 in Hopkinton, Iowa. Ezra served in the United States Army during World War II and Mary served her country as a Army wife and mother. When the couple moved to Washington Mary was a homemaker and also worked as a bookkeeper at Kirkpatrick Warehouse for many years. She was also a cook at the Washington County Home for several years. Mary was a member of the Happy Homemakers and enjoyed cooking, fishing, doing various craft projects and was an excellent seamstress. She made either sock monkeys or Raggedy Ann or Andy dolls for all of her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Mary was the historian for Ezra's B Battery 87th Infantry reunions, collecting and organizing information for many years.

Survivors include her husband Ezra of Washington, four children, Marilyn Crandall of Brighton, Murlee Bohr of Cedar Rapids, Deborah (Albert) Hagerla of Edina, Missouri, Mike (Lori) Jones of Cedar Rapids, 11 grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, six great-great-grandchildren and one brother, George (Ruth) Hanssen of Accokeek, Maryland.

Preceding Mary in death were her parents and seven siblings, Avelda Daly, Margaret Starkey, Paul Hanssen, Eileen Villagrana, Otto Hanssen, Muriel Highley and Dorothy Lloyd.