Dolores O. Jones

March 4, 1928 – March 4, 2014

Dolores O. Jones, of Buffalo, a mother of eight who was active in several Catholic churches, died on her 86th birthday Tuesday in Buffalo General Medical Center from injuries suffered in a recent fall.

Born Dolores Osieja in Buffalo, she was a graduate of Mount St. Joseph Academy and attended Canisius College. As a young woman, she worked as a customer service representative for New York Telephone.

Mrs. Jones served on the Parish Council at St. Mark Catholic Church, was a Eucharistic minister at Blessed Sacrament Church in Buffalo and was a volunteer with the Marillac Guild at Sisters Hospital.

In the 1970s, she led an effort through Catholic Charities to sponsor a family of nine refugees from Vietnam.

Living in Oklahoma City from 1981 to 1985, she opened a rental store that included the first off-site UPS shipping store in the nation.

She also was active in the development and construction of a new Catholic church in Oklahoma City.

In recent years, she was a familiar figure in the Larkin Building, where she assisted with her husband's mechanical engineering consulting company. Her son, William, was one of the building's developers.

A longtime supporter of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, she met her husband of 59 years, Charles "Gary," at one of the concerts in 1951.

In addition to her husband, survivors include six sons, Charles Jr. "Chip," William, Clifford, Brian, Gregory and David; two daughters, Melanie Cummings and Pamela Makofski; two sisters, Joan Kennedy and Melania Peterson; and 13 grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 1:30 p.m. Friday in St. Louis Catholic Church, Main and Edward streets.