Charlotte Maxine Jones

Charlotte M. Jones died at Good Samaritan Health Care Center on Monday, January 20, 2014, at age 87. She was born June 18, 1926, in Yakima, Washington to Theodore R. and Vashti A. (Scott) Erickson. Charlotte graduated as salutatorian from Yakima High School in 1944. While still in school, she met a soldier from Post, Texas, Joseph P. Jones, who stayed in touch and visited her in Yakima until his deployment to France in January,1945.

In the meantime, Charlotte worked for Picatti Brothers, and she and Joe wrote weekly to each other until he returned to the States in October, 1945. They were married in Yakima on November 21, 1945. After Joe died in 1958, Charlotte remained single, busy raising three young boys. She worked several part-time jobs until she settled permanently with Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries in Yakima, where she retired after 20 years.

Charlotte’s love of history, especially that of the Yakima Valley, came naturally to her because her great-grandfathers (Scott, French, Erickson and McGonigle) were early pioneers here. She also was fascinated with geology and archeology, and was a member of the Mid-Columbia Archeological Society. She often took courses at Yakima Valley Community College in these subjects. She was active in the Yakima County Democratic Party, sometimes serving as a delegate to various conventions, and she was a member of The Parliamentarians and Committee On Political Education. Also, she was a member of the Southeast Washington Aging and Long Term Care Agency.

Besides her volunteer activities, she loved to spend time out in the mountains camping and hiking with her family, and enjoying Allied Arts activities and Yakima Folklife Festivals. She participated in all of these as long as she was able.

Charlotte is survived by: sons Barnie (Karen) Jones of Salem, Oregon; Tom (Barbara) Jones of Ellensburg, Washington; David (Jean) Jones of Yakima, Washington; grandson Ted Jones of Corvallis, Oregon; as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, at Rainier Memorial Center in Terrace Heights. Reception following. Burial will be at West Hills Memorial Park, Yakima.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her memory to The Humane Society of the United States or the Yakima Valley Museum.

To share a memory of Charlotte, visit www.keithandkeith.com.