Mary V. Lloyd-Jones

CHAFFEE - Mary V. Lloyd-Jones, formerly of Chaffee, died Saturday (April 8, 2017) at Bethesda West Memorial Hospital in Boynton Beach, Fla.

She was born Jan. 19, 1920, to the late Ferdinand and Rosa (Crisafulli) Feraldi, the fifth of 12 children.

Despite the difficulties of growing up during the Depression and the early death of her father in 1928, she had fond memories of her childhood. She was a headstrong tomboy and was grateful to her older brothers who looked out for her and taught her to play basketball. She loved the sport and was proud to make the girls' varsity team in her freshman year at Delevan High School. In addition to sports, Mary loved to read, making up for her late start in school with a voracious appetite for learning. As the eldest daughter of Italian immigrants, Mary was held out of school until the age of eight, before finally joining her brothers at the one-room schoolhouse in Chaffee. Her formal education was cut short in high school with the sudden death of her mother. Mary took over as the matriarch of the family, working for New York Telephone as a switchboard operator and raising her younger siblings while her older brothers marched off to war.

During her life, Mary had many occupations and was active within her community. After fulfilling her mother's deathbed promise to raise her younger siblings, she then helped to run a turkey farm, later a sheep farm, with her husband Thomas A. Lloyd-Jones. She sold Tupperware, served as a physical education teacher for St. Pius X School and was a rural mail carrier for the U.S. Post Office. Mary also served as a 4-H leader, was an active member of St. Jude's Church, the Cooperative Extension Service and later in life, the Senior Citizens Associations of Chaffee and Arcade.

Mary is survived by her children, David Lloyd-Jones of Monmouth, Ore., Thomas Lloyd-Jones of Lake Worth, Fla., Audrey (Lee) Turner of Marcellus and Jacqueline (Gary) Prince of Brookeville, Md.; her siblings, Rose Keenan of Williamsville, Josephine Durant of Auburn, Calif., and Samuel (Ann) Feraldi of Chaffee; 11 grandchildren; and numerous much-loved nieces, nephews and extended family.

She is preceded in death by her husband; her brothers, Ferdinand, Lawrence, Sondo, Michaelangelo, Carmel and Joseph Feraldi; and sisters, Johanna Hoff and Ellen Peak.

A Christian Mass and celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday (April 22, 2017) at St. Jude's Church, 12800 Genesee Road, Chaffee. The Rev. Alfons Osiander will officiate. There will be no prior visitation. She will be laid to rest in St. Peter & Paul Cemetery in Arcade.

Mary, who valued education, but was unable to complete her own, will have a scholarship established in her name at Pioneer Central Schools. In lieu of flowers, donations to the scholarship may be sent to Pioneer Central Schools, Attn: Business Office/Mott, P.O. Box 579, County Line Rd, Yorkshire, NY 14173, "In memory of Mary Lloyd-Jones" on the memo line.

Online condolences may be made at www.wsdavisfuneralhome.com.