Portland – Ellenor Blair Jones, 108, a resident of Portland, passed away peacefully, Friday morning, September 20th at The Cedars in Portland, Maine, nineteen days before her 109th birthday. She was born October 9, 1910, in Rochester, New Hampshire, the daughter of William John and Mary Ross Blair of Rochester. She was a graduate of Rochester High School class of 1926. Following graduation from Plymouth Normal School, now Plymouth State University, in 1928 with a teaching certificate in primary education, she began her career in the Epping, NH public schools, moving to Brookline, MA to teach junior high math in 1930. Introduced to her future husband by his sister, a Brookline science teacher, Ellenor was forced to resign her position in 1939 in order to marry. In that day, a woman could not be married and teach school. She married Milford F Jones on April 15, 1939, in Bennington, VT. During the 1940s, Ellenor lived in Gloucester, MA; Rochester, NH; Portland, ME; and eventually Falmouth, ME, as Milford relocated because of business opportunities and wartime business restrictions. Ellenor returned to teaching as a substitute in Falmouth during the 1947 school year and was quickly offered a full-time position. The family relocated to Portland in 1952. She continued her education while employed full time, graduating from Gorham State Teachers College, now University of Southern Maine, with a BA in elementary education in 1962. She continued her education throughout the 1960s, earning credits toward a master’s degree. Ellenor was selected as the principal of Lunt School in Falmouth and continued to teach and serve in that position until her retirement in 1972. Travel with friends and winters in Florida followed. Ellenor was a member of the First Evangelical Free Church of Maine, the National Education Association, the Alpha Delta Kappa Honorary Sorority, and the Woodfords Club. Ellenor was predeceased by her husband Milford in 1994. She is survived by her son Dr Boyd A Jones of Falls Church, VA; daughter-in-law Joyce A Jones of Lakeridge, VA; one granddaughter Laurie E Hoshauer and her husband Glenn of Fort Worth, TX; three grandsons, Mark B Jones and his wife Lucilita of Woodbridge, VA; Michael B Jones of Hollister, MO; and Steven B Jones and his wife Laurie of Canton, MA; and eleven great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ellenor’s name to The Cedars, The Jimmy Fund, or a charity of your choice.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend visiting hours for Ellenor on Friday, October 4th, 2019, from 4-6 p.m., at Jones Rich and Barnes Funeral Home 199 Woodford St., Portland, ME 04103. A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, October 5th, 2019, at 10 a.m. at Jones Rich and Barnes Funeral Home. A committal service will follow at Rochester Cemetery, 17 Franklin St, Rochester, NH 03867.
