Grace Elizabeth Jones (Grace) died on December 12, 2020 in Fallon, Nevada from dementia-related health issues. She was 92 years old.
Grace was born October 11, 1928 in Lowell, Massachusetts to John and Grace Merrill. She grew up in North Chelmsford, MA and was an accomplished musician and athlete as a youngster and never did lose her New England accent to the day she passed away.
She graduated from Chelmsford High and the University of Massachusetts after which she married J. Kendall “Doc” Jones and started raising a family of five kids while Doc set out in his medical career. They moved to Ruth, Nevada in 1959 and later to Ely where both Doc and Grace pushed their kids (Steve, George, Bob, Nancy, and Linda) to excel in sports, music and academics at White Pine High.
Grace became active in church activities and was the organist at St Bartholomew’s in Ely and later Trinity Episcopal churches in Reno. Religion played an important role in Grace’s life from the 1970’s until the day she passed away. As religious as she was, Grace was forever a proud conservative patriot of the United States and all that it stood for.
Grace was preceded in death by her parents, John and Grace Merrill, he ex-, Doc Jones, her brothers Dave and George Merrill, and her daughter Linda. She is survived by her brother Russell of Lowell, MA, four children: Steve (Sue) of Reno, George (Naomi) of Ely, Robert (Deana) of Elko, and Nancy Johnson (Myron) of Dayton, all in Nevada. She had 14 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
At a later date a celebration of life will be held for Grace in Ely for family and friends. Although she lived at many different cities and states in her life, Grace always considered Ely her home and her final place of rest and peace.
She was born Grace Jones, but as an infant I dubbed her Minnie, and that name would stick for me and my family through the years.
In all my life, I have never met a person more selflessly committed to the well-being of others, often at great personal cost to herself.
Godspeed, Min. See you on the shore. I know you’ll be waiting.