Joan Vurpillat ("Jan") Jones

Joan Vurpillat ("Jan") Jones, died peacefully on August 24, 2025 in Newcastle Washington. She was born August 6, 1929 and was raised in South Bend Indiana, where her father, Francis J. Vurpillat, practiced medicine. She attended Northwestern University, joining Alpha Chi Omega sorority, and graduated from St Francis Hospital School of Nursing in Evanston Illinois. In 1953, she and a friend decided to head West for an adventure. In Seattle, she met Edmund Jones, a handsome lawyer and WW II veteran, also a Midwestern transplant. They married in 1956, settled down and remained in the Seattle area the rest of their lives, raising four children, and enjoying the boating and skiing that attracted them both to the area originally. As empty nesters, they enjoyed international travel, their cabin on Hammersley Inlet, and time with family, especially their grandchildren. After Ed died in 1995, Jan continued to travel and enjoy time with her family. She devoted hundreds of hours to making and donating baby quilts to Childhaven, the Linus Project, and other non-profit organizations. In her 90's, she slowed down due to the COVID pandemic and advancing dementia, but her longevity continued to be a source of inspiration to family and friends. She is survived by: her sister Florence Baumann (Robert); children Constance, Marilyn Wagoner-Funk (Christopher), Mary Jo Bailey (Bruce), and Edmund (Lori); grandchildren, Bryan and Cole (Tracie)Wagoner, and Gareth Bailey; great-grandchildren, Laurel and Melanie Wagoner. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the UW Alzheimer's Disease Research Fund or other organizations dedicated to Alzheimer's research.