Barbara Hafford Jones

Barbara Ann Hafford Jones

July 25, 1924 - May 30, 2025

Barbara Ann Hafford was born in Albion, MI to Clarence Eugene Hafford and Frances Ann Dodd Hafford on July 25, 1924. She was the eldest of three children, followed by brothers Robert and Eugene. She grew up exploring the woods around her childhood home with her brothers, becoming a lover of plants and birds at an early age. Always a quick learner, she graduated from Ridgewood High School at the age of 16 and went on to college at Michigan State University. Her love of research and writing led her to pursue a degree in journalism. She also joined Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and loved being part of the sisterhood.

Not long after arriving on campus, a friend offered to take her to the school newspaper office to meet the Editor-in-Chief and discuss a role on the paper staff. When the Editor came out of his office and introduced himself as "Dave Jones", she thought that name must be a joke, so she stuck out her hand and replied "Nice to meet you. I'm Mother Nature". Not long after, Dave put an advertisement in the school paper for a date to an Army ROTC dance and slyly circled the ad and put it on Barbara's desk. When she found the paper she handed it to her friend and said "You tell him if he wants to ask me out, he should come do it himself". A few minutes later Dave emerged from his office, asked her to the dance, and that one request turned into a life of nearly 70 years together.

Barbara left Michigan State to marry David Leland Jones on June 26, 1943 in Glen Rock, NJ. David was an Army Reserve officer working in advertising. Not long after, he decided to switch to active duty and make the Army his career, eventually retiring in 1976 as a Colonel. When David was sent to Europe to fight in WWII, Barbara became a newspaper reporter at the Durham (NC) Sun and later returned to MSU to finish her degree, graduating in 1946. She then rejoined her husband when he came back from the war.

They started their family with the birth of their daughter Coralyn in 1947, followed by son Michael in 1950, and daughters Wendy in 1951 and Barbara in 1957. As an Army family they lived all over the world with posts in California, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Virginia and overseas in Germany and Korea. Eventually they settled as original homeowners in the Truro neighborhood in Annandale, VA for the last years of his career and subsequent retirement. As David continued his career, Barbara was the ultimate officer's wife and consummate hostess. Once the children had grown, she got her real estate license and sold properties in Fairfax County, VA with the Merle Nelson Group. She was active in her local PEO chapter as well as multiple bridge and church groups and at the Smithsonian National Zoo where she loved her time as a volunteer in the Golden Lion Tamarin exhibit.

Their family grew with the eventual addition of 8 grandchildren (as David liked to say "all boys, except for 7 of them") and 13 great grandchildren. When the eldest grandchild, Mark, began talking, he tried to say Barbara but it came out as "Baba", a name that stuck for the next 56 years.

There was nothing Baba loved more than her family. She was the ultimate matriarch. Never one to hold her thoughts, she taught her children and grandchildren everything from proper posture, etiquette and social protocol to critical thinking and how to play the piano. Her daughter Barbara liked to quote Rumpole of the Bailey and referred to Baba as "She who must be obeyed". Baba always had opinions on what should be done, and as it turned out, she was almost always right.

She was a passionate proponent of education, particularly for women, and generously helped to finance the educations of numerous members of her family. She taught her family about classical music, backyard songbirds, Broadway musicals and classic literature and poetry. She was known to challenge her grandkids with monetary rewards if they could memorize the US Presidents, the Preamble to the Constitution or Ogden Nash poems. She passed her love for learning and reading on to many of her descendants.

Barbara was a longtime knitter who created personalized Christmas stockings for each family member and taught several of her descendants the art of knitting. In the mid-80s, Barbara and David bought a cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and named the house "Jones' Beach". The cottage was a vacation destination for family members over the years and instilled in many a love for the ocean and beach. She was also passionate about sweets - a trait many of her family members inherited and now blame on her. Her famous Cowboy Cookies were baked almost every Saturday morning and she rarely missed a day of ice cream after dinner.

Barbara and David were early members of Providence Presbyterian Church in Fairfax, VA and attended services there for over 50 years. Providence also brought into her life one of her dearest friends, Dr. John Barclay Burns. "BJ" and "JBB" shared a bond that she cherished, and her family is so grateful for his support and friendship these last 45 years.

In 2008, Barbara suffered tremendous losses with the March passing of her youngest child, Barbara, who was stolen by breast cancer, and David's passing less than 6 months later in September. They had celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary that June.

She was also preceded in death by her parents and her brother Robert and leaves an incredible legacy of family: her brother Eugene (Patricia) Hafford, her children Coralyn (Dimitrios) Theodoridis, Michael Jones, Wendy (Roy) Kurry and Barbara's husband Daniel Reitzloff. Her beloved grandchildren: Mark (Kathy) Kendall, Erin (Jeff) Norman, Tisho (Stuart) Jessop, Grace (Matt) McClintock, Merry (Ron) Owens, Halley (John) Santee, Madison Reitzloff and Elizabeth Reitzloff. And her great grandchildren: Kelly, Ryan and Connor Kendall, Sydney and Jackson Norman, Quinn Little, Dylan, Eric, Lucas and Charles Owens and Jacob, Hayla and Julian Santee.

Her family also extends their gratitude to her caregivers in her final years: Celina and Fatmata. Their gentle, loving ways gave her family much comfort as we knew Baba was being cared for with dignity and compassion.

A service will be held at Providence Presbyterian Church (9019 Little River Turnpike, Fairfax, VA 22031) on July 19, 2025 at 1:30pm. All are welcome to attend. An interment will occur next year at Arlington National Cemetery, where she will join David.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of her favorite charities: https://www.fisherhouse.org/ or https://www.worldwildlife.org/.