JONES, Rozeltha E. 1908-2002

JONES, TODD, PERRY

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/30/2009 at 21:14:00

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Rozeltha (Rose) Jones, 94, a resident of Charles City, Iowa, for 74 years, died on December 11, 2002, near Cooperstown, New York.

A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, Cooperstown at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22. A service and burial will be in Charles City in the spring.

Rose was born on the family farm near Charles City on Oct. 3, 1908, the daughter of George E. Todd and Daisy M. Perry. She had two sisters, Hazel and Irma, and a brother Eldon. Two sisters, Madge and Viola, died in infancy. Her father died in 1918 during the influenza epidemic. Within a short time, Daisy and her four children moved into town.

After graduating from Charles City High School in 1926, rose took a position as bookkeeper at the Primary Oil Company. She next worked for the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company as an operator. In February 1935 she took the call for the Hildreth Hotel fire. one of the volunteer firemen who fought the blaze was Weston E. Jones who had returned to his childhood home to set up a law practice in 1933. Rose and Weston were married on July 18, 1936, however they did not announce their marriage for more than two years because of a telephone company hiring policy which excluded married women. Their son Clyde R. Jones II (C.R.) was born on Oct. 20, 1939.

After Weston died in November of 1953, Rose returned to her job as a telephone operator until her retirement in 1973. She continued to live in the family home at 204 Kelly Street until nine years ago when she moved to Cooperstown, N.Y., to be near her son and his family.

Rose enjoyed activities with the Telephone Pioneers and retired operators from the Charles City telephone office. She was a member of the Wa-Tan-Ye Club and First Congregational Church.

Rose is survived by her son C.R. Jones and his spouse Susan of Cooperstown; three grandchildren, Graham Jones of Cooperstown and Rotterdam, N.Y., Perry Jones and his spouse Jacqueline of Marcy, N.Y., and Amanda Jones of Cooperstown and Monterrey Mexico; her sister Irma Krause of Wilmington, Del.; sister-in-law Viola Todd of Charles City; a niece Pamela Krause Kane; and two nephews, Don Krause and Michael Todd.

At her request, gifts may be made to the Floyd County Historical Society, 500 Gilbert St., Charles City, or the First Congregational Church.