Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Marie Jones

Marie Ward Jones, 89, of Little Rock, died Friday, Nov. 9, 2007.

The daughter of Marion Taylor Ward and Maggie Richardson Ward, she was born near Blevins, on Aug. 3, 1918.

She was predeceased by her brothers Homer and John Cecil Ward and her sister Marion Ethel Ward Shackelford.

She was valedictorian of her 1936 graduating class at Blevins High School. During the Second World War, she was employed by the Department of Agriculture and worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development from 1975 to 1995. Since 1946, she was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Little Rock, where she served as an elder and on the governing Session. For many years she was active in Beta Sigma Phi sorority.

Her spirited nature was evident even in recent years. On her 82nd birthday, Marie went horseback riding at Lake Tahoe and calmly reined in her horse when it bolted up a hillside. On her 84th birthday, she rode the rapids on the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. An avid reader, she recently finished the final Harry Potter book, "trying," as she said, "to keep up with my grandsons."

Survivors include her son, William Bryan Jones Jr. of Little Rock; her grandsons, William Broadwell Jones and Stephen Ward Jones of Little Rock; and various cousins, nieces and nephews.

Visitation was at Ruebel Funeral Home on Sunday, Nov. 11. A funeral service was held at First Presbyterian Church, Little Rock, at noon on Monday, Nov. 12, officiated by Rev. Howard Gordon. A grave side service was at 3 p.m. at Marlbrook Cemetery in Hempstead County, with a gathering for family and friends afterward. Arrangements were under the direction of Ruebel Funeral Home, www.ruebelfuneralhome.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Little Rock, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies or the Visiting Nurse Association of Arkansas.