Wife of fine artist Gordon Jones who predeceased her in 2006, Jones spent the first half of her married life in Mexico City with her six children, Margarite Leonor, Paul Daniel, Peter Guy, Rebecca Anne, Mark Matthew, and Deborah Maria.
Jones and her family moved to Laguna Beach, California in 1975, where she became an active member of the Laguna Beach community. A devout Catholic, Jones attended daily mass at St. Catherine of Siena, and volunteered with the Laguna Beach Council of Catholic Women.
The youngest member of a prominent Mexican family, Jones was born on Jan. 21, 1927 in Mexico City to Francisco Fuentes Berain and Rebeca Malacara. Jones attended the Sacred Heart Schools in Mexico City and Maryville College in St. Louis, MO.
Fluent in both English and Spanish, Jones was an expert bi?lingual grammarian who taught ELL at El Morro School in Laguna Beach and gave private Spanish lessons for most of her adult life.
Although Jones remained proud of her Mexican heritage and culture, she became an American citizen in 1996, scoring 100% on her citizenship test, an accomplishment she delighted in sharing with friends and family.
For many years Jones was a permanent fixture in Bluebird Canyon, walking her Dalmatian, Lizzie, and chatting with her Laguna neighbors and fellow dog walkers.
Jones had many passions. She was a linguist and a dog lover who savored an evening glass of good cabernet, and enjoyed playing Scrabble and Rummicube with her eleven grandchildren. Jones loved classic movies and classical music. She never missed an episode of the many “telenovelas” starring her actress daughter, Rebecca Jones.
An expert cook, Jones was the consummate hostess who loved entertaining. A place at Jones’s large, oval welcoming dining room table was the coveted spot for all friends and family. Mexican meals were served, wine was poured, and multiple conversations and heated debates were conducted. Presiding over all the chaos and chiles rellenos was the regal Jones, taking pride and pleasure from the multi?generations seated around her table.
Jones was the proud matriarch of an extended family that originated in Mexico and stretched from the coast of California to the shores of Maine. A resident of many towns before finally settling in sunny Laguna Beach, California, Jones had especially fond memories of her early married years in Westport, Connecticut. After happily residing for over forty years in California, Jones moved to Topsham, Maine in 2017 to be closer to her East Coast family.
Jones leaves behind five children, eleven grandchildren: Poncho, Danny and Pablo Serrano, Cristina Jones Bonfiglio and grandson in law Jason Bonfiglio, Stephanie Jones, Alicia Brisbane, Stephanie Pearl, Erica Jones, Max Camacho, and Camila and Joseph Ciembroniewicz, and seven great-grandchildren: Annie and Camila Serano, Francesca Rose Bonfiglio, Sophie and Sebastian Serano, Kingston Brisbane and Easton Cummins.
The memorial mass and service for Jones is planned for July 2018 at St. Catherine of Siena Church, in Laguna Beach (details forthcoming). A mass will also be offered Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at St. Catherine’s.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Los Angeles classical radio station, KUSC through their web site, www.kusc.org. Donations in Jones’s memory may also be made to her home parish, in care of Lisa at St. Catherine of Siena, 1042 Temple Terrace, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.
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