Lynn Jones

1947 - 2025

Lynn L. Jones, age 78, of Sturgis, Michigan passed away peacefully Tuesday afternoon, August 5, 2025, at Beacon Kalamazoo Hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan, surrounded by her family.

Lynn was born on April 13, 1947, in Pasadena, CA, the daughter of the late Ray and Priscilla (Morrison) Holdridge. She married the love of her life, Eric Jones, in New Providence, NJ on January 9, 1988. Together, they created a blended and loving family, surrounded by children, grandchildren, cats, and a shared devotion to family life. In 1988, Lynn and her husband initially made their home in South Bend, Indiana, later moving to the Klinger Lake area in 1998.

Lynn is survived by her devoted husband, Eric; daughters: Carrie (Sanjeev) Musalimadugu of Belleair Beach, FL; Amy (Mike) Kaiser of Bristol, IN; Amanda (Brian) Merrick of Westfield, IN; and their French exchange student daughter, Juliette (Eric) Lebas of Versailles, France. She was the proud Grammy to Jacob, Ava, Parker, Reese, Maci, and Brady. Also surviving are her sister Ridge (Kim) Holdridge of Orlando, FL, and her brother Dean (Lynnette) Holdridge of Mesa, AZ, and three beloved nieces, Leann, Renee, and Lorie. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Lynn received her BS degree in Language Arts, in 1969, from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA. As a high school senior in 1964-65, she was selected as the California Girl's State representative for her class. After college, Lynn's initial work career was as a legal secretary in Los Angeles. During her first marriage, she lived in NJ, where daughter Carrie was born. After her marriage to Eric, they moved to South Bend, IN where they became a blended family. While living in South Bend, Lynn had the opportunity to work in the University of Notre Dame football office for seven seasons during Coach Lou Holtz's tenure as head coach. Lynn loved Notre Dame, and whoa be it to the person who might mistakenly make a negative comment about Notre Dame in front of her!

Lynn had many, many passions and talents. She was an accomplished, avid, writer and published author, using all types of literary genres: poetry, novels, short stories, etc. She always had a love for art, whether it was drawing, painting her own creations, or just appreciating the works of others. She owned and repaired many antique clocks. Lynn was exceptionally creative…creating special little gifts with personal notes and drawings, unique greeting cards, and various types of needlework. She loved to read and put puzzles together. She loved designing and decorating the interior spaces of her home. She loved God and the teachings of Jesus Christ…and she loved her church and church family.

Lynn loved cloud formations in the sky, and the various stages and events of the moon. She would drag Eric out of bed, at 2:00AM, to drive out to an open field where they could see the unobstructed moon at its best. She loved trains, and she was enthralled with airplanes in the sky…especially watching the local crop duster airplane, weaving back and forth above the local farm fields.

Lynn's personality was bubbly and engaging. She loved to laugh and make others laugh, too. She was witty; and she had a sassy side to her personality. Her friends all know Lynn was partial to wearing clothing that was black and white in color…consisting of patterns in plaids, stripes, and polka dots…with accessories to match, of course! She loved driving her little Volkswagon Beetle!

In addition to her love for Notre Dame football, she was an avid fan of NFL football, especially the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts. Lynn would be glued to the television, watching ND or NFL football, shouting an occasional colorful epithet at the television, to any player who might be playing like a "girl scout"…or, a referee who might have made the wrong call against her favored team.

Lynn loved being a wife to Eric, being a mom, a grammy, a sister, a sister-in-law, an aunt, and a BFF…and, she loved her many, many friends! She was kind, generous, talented, funny, and loved her extended family members…she simply loved life.

Her family members had many names for Lynn. Among them: LynnieJ, Lynnie Lou, Lynnster, Lynnette, llcoolj, Sissy, Grandma Lynn, Grammy…and, the grandchildren definitely did not want to risk being on the wrong side of…The Gramminator! Eric lovingly called her Bunna.

Conversely, Lynn had coined names for many family members and friends. Those names are…Bart, P-Parkie, Brady Mac, Maci Rai, Ava G, Jakey the K, Necie, Archie, Pooh Bah, Slickie, Cara, Tootie, Bri, Mimi, Mikey, Aint and Freed…and, Eric was Mr. Bun.

In accordance with her wishes, cremation has taken place. A visitation will be held at the Rosenberg Chapel of Hackman Family Funeral Homes, 807 E. Chicago Rd. in Sturgis, on Tuesday, September 16th, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. A Celebration of Life service will be held for Lynn at the First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis, at 11:00AM on Wednesday, September 17th.

The Hackman Family Funeral Homes of Sturgis is entrusted with the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family would suggest memorial donations, in Lynn's memory, to either: The St. Joseph County United Way, P.O. Box 577, Centreville, MI 49032 or, The Sturgis Area Community Foundation, 214 E. Chicago Rd., Sturgis, MI 49091, designating the donation to the Eric and Lynn Jones Family Fund.

Memories and condolences may be shared at: www.hackmanfamilyfuneralhomes.com