Pat Jones

Pat Jones We lost someone special on Wednesday, June 20, 2012. Her name was Pat Jones and she died in her sleep following an extended illness. You may not have known Pat, as she was a very self-contained person whose interests ran toward solitary pursuits. She was an avid and eclectic reader who, over the years, developed an encyclopedic knowledge of British history, with particular focus on the many stories and intrigues that surround British, Scottish and Irish monarchy. As a descendent of Oregon Trail pioneers, Pat was also well-versed on Oregon history. Born in Oregon City, Oregon on July 11, 1928, Pat grew up on a variety of government reservations with her Parents William and Evelyn Laxton and her brother William Laxton, now of Olympia, WA. Pat's father was a civil engineer who designed jetties up and down the Oregon coast before settling in to work as one of the main engineers on the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon. After attending Stevenson High, Pat went to the University of Oregon where she studied theater and met Les Jones, whom she married in 1949. After college, Pat and Les lived for three years in Washington D.C. where Les worked for the CIA. After leaving the CIA, they moved back to California where Les began his long career in Packaging Machinery sales. Pat's eldest son, Chris was born in 1957 while they were living in Hayward, CA. In 1958, Pat's daughter Barbara was born and in 1961, while they were living in West Covina, CA, her youngest son Scott was born. Les's job required much traveling between Southern and Northern California, so after a few moves, the family settled into their home in Lucas Valley, where they lived until the late 1990s. While living in Lucas Valley, Pat developed her many interests. Besides reading and studying history, Pat was a skilled needle-pointer and quilter and made several beautiful quilts and needlepoint pictures that the family still cherishes. As her children grew older, Pat was able to begin working. She spent several years working as a teacher's aid for special education at Santa Margarita School in Terra Linda. Later, much to the chagrin of her children, Pat volunteered for 8 years in the Terra Linda High Attendance office. Throughout her life, Pat was active in various volunteer organizations including the Polly Klaas Foundation, the Marine Mammal Center and the Nevada County Humane Society. Later, she became a certified reading tutor and worked with elementary school children in Petaluma. Pat also served as a poll worker on several state and national elections. When the last of her children had graduated from Terra Linda, Pat began working for R. W. Morey reinsurance in Tiburon CA as a claims processor. When Les retired in the late 1980s, Pat and Les relocated to Grass Valley, CA. They spent 4 years in Grass Valley, exploring the Gold Country. Les passed away in 1994, and, wanting to be closer to her children, Pat moved into a townhouse in then rapidly developing East Petaluma. Pat was very proud of her new home, especially for the fact that it was the first time she had lived on her own in her entire adult life. From Petaluma, Pat was able to enjoy watching her family grow and develop, with many dinners and long bar-b-ques spent with her children and grandchildren, Barbara's daughter Melinda Salisbury, Chris's daughter Rhiannon Jones, and Shelly and Missy Maher the daughter's of Barbara's husband Mike Maher. Later the fun was added to with the addition of Shelly's daughters Sagen and Shia and Missy's daughter Madison. Pat's progressing illness made it difficult for her to live alone, so reluctantly, in early 2010 Pat moved to Deer Park Residential Home, and then later to Bello Gardens in San Anselmo, CA which is where she lived out her final months. Pat was able to enjoy two significant events before she died, the first was attending her granddaughter Melinda's wedding to Chris Grossman in Arcata, CA and the other was to meet her first great-grandson, Mateo who was born to Rhiannon in late 2011. Pat's laugh, smile, sharp wit and intelligent mind will be missed greatly by her family and friends. A memorial service will be held for Pat at Valley Memorial Cemetery in Novato at 10:00 AM on Saturday July 7th.