Jones, Grace 1882-1976

JONES

Posted By: Linda Ewin Ziemann (email)
Date: 8/16/2003 at 17:16:25

LeMars Sentinel
December 7, 1976

GRACE JONES

Funeral services for Sarah Grace Jones, 94, Fort Dodge, former longtime Plymouth County resident, will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. at First United Methodist church in LeMars.

Rev. Everett Staats and Rev. Milo Morris will officiate and burial will be in LeMars Memorial Cemetery under the direction of the Mauer Funeral Home in LeMars.

Miss Jones died Monday (Dec. 6, 1976) at Friendship Haven, Fort Dodge, after a long illness.

She had lived there the last six years.

Grace Jones was a retired school teacher. She taught in Boston, Chicago, Drake University, Council Bluffs and various rural schools in Plymouth County in later years. She came to Plymouth County in the early 1950s.

Miss Jones is survived by a cousin, Florence Siffered, Washington, D. C.

She was a member of the Methodist church.

Preceding her in death were her parents and two brothers.
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GRACE JONES: From Harvard Yard to Plymouth County Rural Schools

Grace Jones was a special kind of friend of children. She received messages
and cards from hundreds of them after she fell and broke her hip in LeMars.

The last six years Miss Jones had lived at Friendship Haven in Fort Dodge.
She died there Monday at 94 after a long illness.

With no relatives in Plymouth county and an only cousin in Washington D.C.,
Miss Jones' mark on the lives of children she taught can only be recalled by
the friends she made here after moving to Plymouth county in the early
1950's.

She was born Aug. 18, 1882, at Algona, Iowa, where she received her early
education. At a time when higher education wasn't considered too important
for women, Grace Jones attended Drake, Chicago and Boston Universities and
Harvard.

Grace taught in many fields, including Bible at Drake University, and was a
librarian four years at Drake University and one year at Boston University.

Instead of remaining in higher academic atmosphere, Grace decided teaching
children was what she wanted. It was in that profession she devoted her
life.

Her dedication took her to a private pre-school at Battle Creek, first
grades at Ida Grove and Battle Creek, a Council Bluffs children's home and
rural schools in Ida and Plymouth county. She taught in Plymouth county
rural schools 11 years. Rural schools were her special love!

Through her knowledge of the Bible, she also gave her time teaching Sunday
schools and Vacation Bible school.

Grace was past 80 when she visited every Plymouth county school with junior
Red Cross posters, giving speeches to children about junior Red Cross
activities. She also wrote inspirational programs for children and poetry.

"Her spiritual life and her missionary spirit were always felt by her many
friends," said a LeMars woman in recalling their friendship.

Exemplary lives sometimes pass away quietly, though lifelong waking moments
had been spent in giving to others. The LeMars friend who gave us this
information was deeply concerned the life and influence of Grace Jones would
not be remembered since she had left LeMars six years ago and no relatives
live here.

Enrichment of others' lives, especially children, is a monument in itself.
In recalling the life of Grace Jones and her great love of teaching in rural
schools, her LeMars friend has given us pause to think of teaching as a
profession and a high calling.

That is something to ponder in these days when teaching no longer seems to
benefit only children.

[From the pages of Grandma's scrapbook. I don't know if my Grandmother
is the "LeMars friend" that is mentioned in the article. I would like to
think so, however. My Grandma also taught in the rural country schools of
Plymouth county, although not over the spread of years as Grace Jones did. The above article was published in the next Sentinel newspaper after her obituary was printed.]