Mary was born on April 3rd, 1932, in Macon, Missouri, to Lyndell W. and Florence Myers Jones, the third of four children. She graduated in 1945 from Duck Creek Elementary School and graduated class valedictorian from Macon High School in 1949. She attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, where she met her late husband, Irving R. Zelade, whom she married on December 22nd, 1951.
Mary was a faithful member of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Lake Jackson and served for many years in the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, as a Sunday School teacher, and she loved giving tours of St. Mark’s beautiful stained glass windows. In the 1970s she worked for the Charles T. Richardson Law Firm as a legal assistant and was honored as Brazoria County Legal Secretary of the Year. She then worked part-time for the First State Bank, Clute.
Irving Zelade preceded her in death on July 26, 2017, after 65 years of marriage. She was preceded in death by her parents, an infant brother, brother Dr. George W. Jones of Bloomington, Indiana, and son-in-law Jeff Reid of Lake Jackson.
Mary leaves behind son Richard and wife Diana Zelade of Austin, Texas; son Charles Zelade and companion Li Li of Austin, Texas; daughter Susan Reid (widow of the late Jeff Reid) of Lake Jackson; grandchildren Genny Reid and husband Zac Brown of Livingston, Louisiana; Samantha Zelade of Austin, Texas; Andrew Zelade and fiance Sandy Van Tang of Austin, Texas; and great-grandson Reid Brown and his baby brother, who is due in January. Mary also leaves behind a brother, Dr. John A. Jones, and wife Karen of Jamestown, Missouri.
The family thanks her caregivers Lisa Wolber, Esmeralda Groom, Linda Yarbrough, and Janie Garza. Their nurture and care helped guide her through the final years of her life and Mary came to consider them a part of her family. A special thanks to Dr. Afzal Kahn, the Carriage Inn staff, and her church family at St. Mark Lutheran.
The funeral service will be held at St. Mark Lutheran Church (501 Willow Drive, Lake Jackson) Saturday, September 15, 2018, at 11 a.m., preceded by visitation between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend a reception and lunch in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service. Private burial will follow.
Donations may be made to St. Mark Lutheran Church for their Empty Bowls project benefitting Brazosport Cares and the Food Basket, or to His Love Counseling Service.
