Patricia Jones

1956 - 2020

Patricia Jane Jones, known to students as the snarky Ms. Jones and to everyone else as Janie, died at her yellow farmhouse in Weld County after a long battle with cancer on October 9, 2020. Until the end, Janie surrounded herself with family and friends who supported, challenged and amused her. Janie was born in Longmont, Colorado on October 11, 1956 to Patricia (McCaslin) and William Rex "Buck" Jones. Janie graduated from Niwot High School in 1975. She studied English and education at Mesa College, then graduated from the University of Northern Colorado. During her 40 years as an English teacher, Janie was a commanding educator and a dedicated coach to over 10,000 St. Vrain Valley students, mentoring generations of families. She spent nearly 30 years at Skyline High School, helping hundreds and hundreds of students prepare for college and writing arguably the best letters of recommendation a student could be privileged enough to snare. If you found yourself in Janie's class, you were almost certain to learn how to diagram sentences, read classic American literature and hear all about Gregory Peck in the movie To Kill a Mockingbird. You could count on big group presentations, The Grapes of Wrath and very high standards coupled with real compassion and care. Students in need would find themselves quietly receiving help from Janie. Students not living up to their potential could expect a swift kick of encouragement. And students who were unsure could find a champion who believed they could succeed in education beyond high school. During her time with St. Vrain Valley Schools, Janie supported a number of athletic teams as a cheer coach just short of 25 years, a softball coach, a baseball scorekeeper and basketball "clock girl." She also organized an annual soup luncheon for staff at Skyline High School each winter to benefit local families during the holidays. Janie held the office of secretary for the Davis and Downing Ditch, maintaining a 100-plus-year family tradition. Guilty pleasures included sunbathing, trashy paperback thrillers and, of course, Pepsi. Janie is survived by her daughter Sarah J "Weasie" Wagner of Longmont, brothers Andrew Jones of Longmont and Matthew Jones of Boulder, nephew Nick Jones, niece Elizabeth Jones, countless friends and colleagues, tens of thousands of students, and, of course, the remaining three Horsemen, Jon Glasser, Michael Aragon and Ben Everson, who helped to carry her in her final months. Howe Mortuary has been entrusted with her cremation. A memorial page has been set up at facebook.com/groups/janiejones, where Sarah asks that you leave your very best and funniest stories. A scholarship in Janie's name is being established; information on how to donate will be published soon. A memorial service will be held for the community in 2021 when it is safe to do so.