Molly McGregor Jones

Molly McGregor Jones passed away in the early hours of April 13, 2026, after a brief hospitalization. Molly was born November 7, 1933, to parents Calvert Chapman and Margaret Hagood McGregor in Columbia, South Carolina.

Molly is preceded in death by her husband Bill. She is mourned by her three children, William Ellison Jones, Jr. (Kristi), Margaret Jones Garvin (Mike), and George McGregor Jones; her grandchildren Paul, Lori, Jeremiah, and Flannery, and great-grandchildren Molly and Jack; Maggie, Lainey and Katie; and beloved nieces and nephews.

Molly grew up in the Shandon area of Columbia , attending Schneider Elementary, Hand Junior High and Dreher High Schools. Although she loved music and dreamed of being a concert pianist, she chose to study mathematics at the University of South Carolina. After graduation, she taught math at her alma mater, Dreher High, where she met William Ellison “Bill” Jones. Bill and Molly married and raised a family in Forest Acres. Molly later returned to high school teaching, then earned a Ph.D. in Educational Measurement Statistics, which she applied in her work in the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control and the state Department of Education.

Molly was a quiet but phenomenal presence in this world, a person of unwavering integrity, love and kindness. Her selflessness and hospitality were legendary among family and friends. She shared her spirit as an author, publishing fifteen works of nonfiction and fiction, mainly for children and young adults. She was also a successful “ghost writer” of several nonfiction books, and an enthusiastic novelist.

Over the years, Molly was an active member of Shandon Methodist and Bethel United Methodist Churches, and later, the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, all of Columbia. While a student at USC, she was president of the Young Women’s Christian Association.

Molly requested that no memorial service be held in her honor. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a donation be made to the charity or service organization of the donor’s choice.