Shirley Gleason Jones

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Woodlawn-Roesch-PattonFH.com for the Jones family.Shirley Gleason Jones, age 96, passed away peacefully on December 27, 2022. She was the widow of Dr. Mark M. Jones a retired Professor of Chemistry at Vanderbilt University and she was a long-time Nashville resident. She held a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a Master’s degree in bacteriology from the University of Kansas. In the 1990’s she was active in assisting her husband in published research on chelating agents and toxic compounds.

All her life she was intellectually curious and a persistent student of a variety of subjects. She especially enjoyed Art History, ancient civilizations, and great literature. Throughout her life she had been active in the Vanderbilt Women’s Auxiliary and in particular what was known as the “craft-twig” program.

She spent much of her early life in Hiawatha, Utah and as an adult embraced the Church of Latter Day Saints as her faith. At the time church services for Latter Day Saints were held at the Harris-Hillman School prior to any Temple being built in the Nashville area. For many years she assisted the church in cataloging genealogy records from census materials.

She had a helpful spirit and liberally encouraged others. During her life she valued education and encouraged her children and grandchildren to follow their instincts on careers and training. She was proud to have been one of the few women in her class at Cornell and one of very few women to have a Master’s degree in the 1950’s.

She is survived by her sons; Mark Gleason Jones (Wendy) and Theodore I. Jones (Karen); five grandchildren, Erin Jones, Clifford Jones, Elizabeth Jones, Chase Jones, and Grant Jones; and one great grand-child Lachlan Jones.