Iris Carole Jones

Carole Jones, (née Iris Carole Clayton), was born on December 6, 1937, in the charming town of Chesterfield, England to Iris Ward, (affectionately known as Nana), and John (Jack) Thomas Clayton (Granddad). Nestled in the East Midlands, Chesterfield is renowned for its historic Crooked Spire, the twisted and leaning spire of the Church of St Mary and All Saints, and its vibrant open-air market which has operated continuously for over 800 years.

When Carole was two years old, her father Jack left to serve in World War II. During the war, Iris and Carole lived with Carole’s cousins Christine and Maureen for whom she had a lifelong affection. After the war, they made their home at 16 Keswick Drive in Newbold, Chesterfield, a home filled with cherished memories. Carole, however, was eager to see the world as were many of her friends. She and a friend planned to move to Heidelberg, Germany, but when her friend backed out, Carole courageously went there on her own. There, she worked as a switchboard operator, facilitating communications for the Allied Forces through the coordination of calls between military leaders and personnel.

Her time in Heidelberg was transformative. Carole became fluent in German and developed a love for authentic German cuisine which she learned to cook with skill and pride. She spent her evenings socializing with the many interesting University of Heidelberg students. Her German friends often praised her for her impeccable accent. One day, she received a call from a handsome young American soldier from North Carolina, Frederick Lee Jones, (Fred, and affectionally known as Dad, Granddad and even Granddog). They began to chat regularly. Fred asked her to go on a date with him. What began as a chance call, turned into love and a family that spanned generations and continents .

They were married in Heidelberg, and their first daughter Karen was born. A few years later they moved to Key West, Florida where their second daughter, Michele, was born. Fred’s mom Verna and her husband Tom, and his siblings Skippy and his wife Nobi, Patsy and her husband Bill, Linda and her husband Johnny, and Lynwood and his wife Susie were nearby as well, and the family continued to grow with the arrival of many nieces and nephews.

When Fred was assigned to the Philippines for work, Carole along with daughters, Karen and Michele moved to Chesterfield, England. There they lived close to Nana and Granddad and were surrounded by Carole’s cousins including Christine and her husband David, Maureen and her husband Trevor, Jean and her husband Doug, and Malcolm and his wife Jean. As each couple welcomed children, the family continued to grow.

Once Fred returned from the Philippines, the family moved to Spangdahlem, Germany. Karen and Michele attended American school there while Carole embraced the local culture wholeheartedly. She often ventured out to the nearby villages of Spangdahlem and Bitburg where she conversed with the locals and immersed Karen and Michele in German culture. Weekends were spent hiking through the countryside with other families and taking day trips to neighboring towns.

One memorable weekend the family brought home Carole’s first dog, Angie, a red cocker spaniel from Trier, Germany. Their adventures also took them through Luxembourg and France as the family travelled to visit Nana and Granddad and family in England. Whether traveling by hovercraft of catching a "space available" military flight, Carole kept her family connected to their loved ones across the channel.

Next, the family relocated to Silver Bay, Minnesota located north of Lake Superior. The climate was a dramatic shift, harsh and frigid with subzero temperatures that felt more Arctic than anything they had ever experienced. On their very first night, they watched middle school kids dressed in snowmobile suits driving around on snowmobiles, a scene unlike anything they had seen before.

The family soon settled into a home in Silver Bay with Lake Superior practically in their backyard, just a short walk through the woods. Fred got a motorcycle, and they soon got to know their neighbors who loved their immaculately maintained yard. One evening at dinner, Carole and Fred shared a surprise with Karen and Michele. After many guesses, the girls finally asked, “Are we going to have a new baby?” The parents said yes, and the whole family was thrilled.

They later moved to Finland Air Force Base perched atop a snowy mountain. Carole formed a friendship with the commander's wife, which became a pattern for Carole throughout the years. Fred got a snowmobile, and the family embraced the winter lifestyle watching snowmobile races across frozen lakes, witnessing ice fishing and marveling as Angie walked right onto the roof of their home via the snow drifts that reached the roof of the house. Summers brought mosquitoes so large and numerous that they were jokingly referred to as the state bird. Then after driving through a blizzard one snowy morning to Two Harbors, Minnesota, Christina, their third daughter was born, and their family was complete. They lived a brief time in Saratoga Springs, in upstate New York before heading west to the Washington state, “the wild, wild West,” as Carole called it.

After a brief stint in Geiger Heights, the family moved to Cheney, Washington where they regularly attended church. They formed a lasting friendship with the Kinson family who lived just across the street, a bond that has endured to this day.

After Carole and Fred parted ways, Carole began a new chapter of her life. She moved into a cozy home on Spokane’s South Hill and lived with her dog Momo, and later her dog Crispin. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in History from Gonzaga University. She retired and continued to cook three meals a day from scratch just as she had lovingly done for her family over the years. Her home reflected her English roots, styled inside like an English Pub, complete with a beautifully manicured garden outside that she tended with care and pride. As her daughters began to have children of their own, Carole embraced her role as grandmother with joy and devotion.

While Carole spent many years in Eastern Washington, her heart remained with her family who had settled in Western Washington. Eventually she moved to an apartment in Newcastle, Washington where she triumphantly declared that she was finally neighbors with one of her children, her daughter Christina. It was there, surrounded by love and close to her daughters, sons in law and eight grandchildren that Carole lived until her peaceful passing on Monday, May 12, 2025.

She will be forever cherished by her daughters Karen, Michele and Christina, her eight beloved grandchildren, Grace, Jack, Harry, Christopher, Megan, William, Benji and Ella, her sons in law, John Gallagher, Adi Smajic and John Miller and her former husband Fred.

God bless our dear Mom and Grandma. May she rest in peace until we meet again!

In lieu of flowers, please make any donations to the Seattle Humane Society. Your support provides lifesaving care for pets, directly impacting thousands of dogs, cats and critters each year, right here in our community!