Obituary of Lauranna Marie Jones
Passed away peacefully on Friday, March 3, 2023 in her 102nd year at Cobble Creek Residence.
Laura was a caring, kind, and independent person who lived a full life. She was married to George Allen Jones on August 13, 1942 in the County of Southampton, Great Britain. She was a devoted wife and mother, but also knew she wanted to contribute something more. She obtained her Bachelor Degree from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbour and her Masters in Education from the University of Toronto OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education). She became the Supervisor of Adult Learning at Georgian College during the 70’s - a time when higher education for women was still hard to attain. Laura found herself in the role of Women’s Advisor for the college and helped foster equal opportunities in education and in the workplace for countless women, tirelessly working extra hours to help them to achieve their goals. After retirement, she learned how to hand-weave beautiful tapestries and enjoyed painting nature scenes and the lakeshore of Lake Simcoe with watercolours. Laura was also a fan of theatrical performances at the Stratford Festival, a devout CBC Radio listener, and every Saturday afternoon, she would be tuned in to the Metropolitan Opera Company from New York on her radio.
Laura will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by her daughter Lisa Colombo (Rob Gray), sons Chris (Francine) and Myron (Enid), daughters-in-law Liz and Judy, grandchildren Nick (Lexi), Rachel, Conor, Kieran (Bella), Hanna (David), Freya (Connor), Dana (Moe), and Matthew and his guide dog Harris, her great-grandchildren Conor, Alexander, and Elsie Lauranna. Laura is also survived by her brother-in-law Ron Brown and her sister-in-law Elinor Brown.
Laura was predeceased by her husband George Allen Jones, parents Marian and Ira Needles (who was the founder of the University of Waterloo along with Gerry Hagey, and instrumental in the creation of the Cooperative Education program), parents-in-law Dorathea and Bernal Jones (who was a well-known architect in Kitchener in the early 1900’s), sons George and Michael, grandson Will, brothers William Needles, Bud Myron Needles, Bob Jones, and Walter Barnes, and her sisters Dorfy Needles, Anne Marie Needles, Frances Jones, and Marilyn Barnes.
Special thanks to the Cobble Creek Assisted Living, especially Deb, Chelsey, Shirley, Nadia, and Stefan, for all the care and compassion they showed to Laura.
Cremation has taken place. A private family graveside service will be held at a later date. Condolences for the family and donations to KW Habilitation - Reach For It! (a recreation-based program for children living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)), or Guide Dogs Canada, Oakville – the Hearing and Vision Program (to empower those living with a disability) would be appreciated and may be arranged at www.erbgood.com