Barbara Pritchard Jones

Barbara passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on the morning of January 6th, 2023 while comforted by family at home in the Lake of the Pines community located in Auburn, California. Her keen intelligence, generosity, subtle humor, bright-blue eyes, and contagious giggle are fondly missed by all who know and love her.

Barbara was born in Wichita, Kansas to parents James C. Pritchard and LaVerne CordeMae Hall from Oklahoma. Barbara lost her mother at the age of three. Barbara and her older brother, Chuck, lived with their father James in Kansas City, Missouri until 1941, when James left to fight in the war. Separated from her brother, Barbara lived with her maternal grandmother ‘Sugar’ in Payola, Kansas until Sugar became terminally ill in 1944, and Barbara was sent to California at the age of eight years old to live with her maternal uncle John Mathies and his wife Betty "Meme" Mathies in California. John and Meme raised Barbara as their own until their passing.

Barbara graduated from University High School, West Los Angeles in 1954. She continued her education and achieved an AA degree from Santa Monica City College and a Legal Secretarial Procedures Certification from Pierce College in Los Angeles.

She worked at Hughes Aircraft Company from 1954 to 1963; starting at entry level in the steno pool and ultimately serving as Executive Secretary to the Vice President and Manager of the Research and Development Division. She became a highly accomplished legal secretary and her work ethic enabled her rise to become a top executive manager for legal firms and then for major players in the commercial real estate sector.

Barbara took a 14-week trip throughout Western Europe in 1957, and this trip represents the first of many travels taken throughout her life. In 1958, Barbara met Philip Jones at a ski lodge in Mammoth, California. Phil introduced himself to Barbara and helped himself to her beer. They were married in 1959 and went on their honeymoon in North Lake Tahoe. Barbara and Philip set out to build a future life.

Barbara had three children with Philip. They worked hard, saved their money, and invested in real estate in California and Nevada. Barbara was an avid skier in her younger days and gained a passion for golf later in life. She and the family traveled all around the United States and took many camping trips in tents, campers, and motorhomes. She skied at many of the resorts in North America as well as Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. She traveled extensively across the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Mediterranean.

At the time of her retirement in 1996, Barbara and Philip purchased their dream home in Lake of the Pines in Auburn, CA. Barbara made many friends and was an active member of the Lake of the Pines community. She was an avid participant in the LOP Lady Niners Golf Club and was captain in 2004 and 2005. She was a longtime member of the LOP women's philanthropic group, the Firebelles, and served as president of the organization in 2006 and 2007. She was also a longtime member of the Red Hat Society.

Barbara was preceded in death by her mother LaVerne, her daughter Dana in 1968, her brother Chuck, her father James, and her adoptive parents John and Meme. She is survived by her husband of 63 years, Philip, her half-sister Dee, her son Gary, her daughter Lesley, her grandson Brendon and her great-granddaughter Lennon along with several nieces and nephews.