Submitted by: Dan Rich

Mary K Jones

Feb. 2, 1918 - Nov. 30, 2007

South Bend Tribune 12/4/2007
SOUTH BEND - Mary K Jones, 89, of South Bend, died peacefully on Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, in The Towne House Health Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She was born on February 2, 1918, in Plymouth, Indiana. Mary graduated from The Lutheran School and Bremen High School in Bremen, Indiana.

She married Thomas E. Jones on July 1, 1939, in South Bend. He preceded her in death in 1993. Since 1972, Mary had been an active member of Hilltop Lutheran Church. She worked as a Head Start teacher in Mishawaka, and a special education teacher at Logan Center and the Old Darden School where she was teacher of the year in 1981. She was named volunteer of the year for Logan Center in 1989. At the age of 56 she became a bicycle enthusiast and rode her custom-made bicycle across the United States at the age of 70. She was also an avid cross-country skier which afforded her the opportunity to do something else she loved, which was to travel. Mary was an exemplary volunteer for Michiana Watershed, Rails to Trails, Ronald McDonald House, Lubach Literacy, and Real Services of South Bend. She was a longtime advocate for the Protective Services Board of Logan Community Resources. She was an expert seamstress, played the piano and organ, and enjoyed the arts in the South Bend community. When her three daughters were young, she was active as a leader in Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls.

Mary is survived by daughters, Caroline Helmkamp (George) of Kansas City, Mo., Virginia Crouse (Sam) of San Diego, CA, and Rebecca Rutkowski (Richard) of Fort Wayne; and one son, David Jones (Shelley) of Murfreesboro, TN. Grandchildren include Peter Helmkamp, Amy Brice, Eric Rutkowski, Todd Rutkowski and Jennifer Rutkowski-Smith. She has one surviving sister, Esther Hill of Bremen, IN. Mary Jones enjoyed life to the fullest and touched the lives of her many friends and family.

Visitation is Thursday, Dec. 6, 2 to 4 PM and 6 to 8 PM in Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, 3718 South Michigan Street, South Bend. Funeral services will be Friday, Dec. 7, 11 AM in Hilltop Lutheran Church, with calling one hour prior to the services in the church. In lieu of flowers, preferred memorials are to Logan Community Resources, 2505 East Jefferson Blvd., South Bend, IN 46615; and to Hilltop Lutheran Church, 4114 S. Ironwood Blvd, South Bend, IN 46614.