Olive Arden "Ardie" Jones
1918 – 2011
It's easy to write about our Mother, as she was an incredible person. Born April 28, 1918 in South Dakota, she was the last of four children. Her Dad moved the family out to Rio Linda, CA. when she was five and started a chicken farming business. Ardie became the "outside gal" and was her Dad's #1 helper. As she stated many times, "That meant I didn't know how to boil water when I married your father, but he survived!" Ardie was very active in her high school, focusing on her greatest love, singing. She came from hardy stock and she and her family survived the 1918 influenza outbreak and of course The Great Depression. After high school, she attended Sacramento City College and became a key punch operator (the precursor to the modern day computer programmer.) On a blind date she met her future husband, Regis "Reg" Jones. They married six months later on July 14, 1940 in her parent's back yard. They honeymooned on Catalina Island, which the whole family went back to for their 50th wedding anniversary. Reg eventually got a job with Boeing in Seattle, WA and had Ardie move up. Three months after Ardie arrived, Pearl Harbor was attacked and Reg enlisted in the Air Force as a bomber pilot. Ardie moved back to Sacramento and worked at McClellan Air Force Base waiting for Reg to return. After the war they began their family with daughter Vicki. When she was 18 months old they moved to Castella, where their other daughters were born; Barbara then Tammy. Ardie got a job as the postal clerk at the Post Office and eventually became Post Master, a job which she held for 18 years. She knew everybody's name and their pets too! Many times she would sing to her patrons as they retrieved their mail. It was a job she relished. Ardie was also very involved in Castella's Ladies Fire Auxiliary as well as her kid's activities. She sang all her life, in church choirs, and community singing groups. After retiring Ardie and Reg traveled to almost every state in the union, going to Reg's Bomber Group Reunions. They had many great adventures. In 1992, they sold their Castella place and moved to Redding. She had a great time with Reg in their second season of life and loved her little Redding abode. Ardie was an amazing gardener and seamstress. She made so many wonderful things for us through out the years and moved on to quilting, which she was wonderfully talented at as well. Ardie waited over four years after Reg passed away and in the end was ready to reunite with him and start having fun again. She leaves behind her daughters; VICKI GUT, husband John and two grandchildren-Ryan and Deron: BARBARA JONES, one grandchild-Amie and two great grandchildren-Madison and Taylor and TAMMY JONES.
Mom's life meant more to us than everything. She raised us with incredible grace and dignity and we will never forget her. We would like to thank the loving and caring staff at the homes of Julie Olsen where Mom was taken care of at the end of her life, especially Patricia, Corine and Sherrie. We so appreciate the love and respect you showed our Mother. We couldn't have gone through this without the help of Mercy Hospice as well. Thank You all.
There will be no services, in lieu of flowers please make a donation to Mercy Hospice or to Redbud Care Homes.
Thank You Mom, Grandma And G-MaWe Love You and Will Miss You
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