Jones, Luella Irene Downs- 1889-1950

BARRETT, BARROW, BISHIP, CARPENTER, DOWNS, FRAKER, HOOVER, JONES, SEIBERLING, STRAVERS

Posted By: JCGS Volunteer
Date: 7/10/2009 at 13:23:50

Luella Irene Downs, daughter of William Eston and Ella Barrett Downs was born in Jasper county Iowa, Jan. 7, 1889 and departed from this life at her home in Colfax, Iowa, Feb. 14, 1950 at the age of 61 years, 1 month and 7 days.
Early in life she joined the Christian church and is now a member of the Christian Church of Colfax where she transferred her membership from Mitchellville. She knew and loved her Saviour and demonstrated this love by accepting and bearing her suffering patiently and uncomplainingly.
On August 20, 1912, she was united in marriage to Edgar B. Jones and to this union seven children were born, all of whom survive. They are Ray of Newton, Mrs. Mildred Barrow and William Jones of Mitchellville, Blaine, Oren and Robert Jones and Mrs. Mary Evelyn Bishop of Colfax. Most of her married life was spent in the vicinity of Altoona and Mitchellville until December 1947 when they sold their home in Mitchellville and moved to Colfax where they resided at the time of her death.
Besides her husband and immediate family she is survived by her mother, Mrs. Ella Downs of Mitchellville, one brother, Charles Downs of Bondurant and five sisters, Mrs. Eva Carpenter of Runnells, Mrs. Alice Stravers, Mrs. Anna Seiberling, Mrs. Lenora Fraker and Mrs. Bertha Hoover all of Mitchellville, ten grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her father and an infant brother.
She was a devoted wife and mother for more than 37 years. She has seen each of her seven children happily married and each of those husbands and wives have become another member of her family, each of them loved and protected with the same true devotion she bestowed upon her own.
Her home was always open and even through the hard years of rearing and caring for her family, no friend or relative or even a stranger ever found her too tired or too busy to set another place at the table and share the food and the warmth of her cozy home.
She loved flowers and music and her home was always alive with them. No family gathering was ever complete without Luella playing familiar hymns and leading the group in singing around the old organ and later the piano. Even within the last few months when all but she knew that she was living on borrowed time, she continued to play and sing her beloved hymns.
Funeral services were held Thursday afternoon from the Christian Church in Mitchellville. Interment was in the Mitchellville cemetery.
Source: The Colfax (IA) Tribune; 23 Feb. 1950, page 6