Edith Lucille (McNamara) Jones, September 18, 1926 – June 6, 2021

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of (Edith) Lucille Jones (nee McNamara) on Sunday June 6th, 2021 in her 95th year.

Predeceased by her husband, Daniel (d. 2015), and son, Donald (d. 2002), Lucille will be dearly missed, and her life deeply valued by her daughter Eleanor (Jose), daughter-in-law Susan, her grandchildren, Caroline (Antonio), Tina, Ari, Aaron (Natalie), Cooper, and great-grandchild Antonio Jr., her sister Mary Lewis (Neil) as well as her sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. She will also be greatly missed by her extended family and friends.

Lucille Jones, born Edith Lucille McNamara, was the third oldest child born to Lester and Mary McNamara. She grew up on a busy farm on Youngs Cove Road, New Brunswick with her 3 sisters and 3 brothers. Family, neighbours and church were the foundations of her early life.

In 1948, Lucille finished her schooling after attaining her Bachelor’s Degree from Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB, and began her teaching career.

After a couple of teaching stints in New Brunswick and Northern Ontario, she moved to Toronto, where she met her future husband, Daniel Jones. She and Dan married in 1953 and settled into life in Toronto. Dan was the love of Lucille's life and they spent 62 happy years together.

Lucille had her daughter, Eleanor, in 1954, and her son, Donald, in 1959. Then she dove into teaching full time. Most of her years of teaching were spent at Royal York Collegiate Institute in the math department. Royal York became home and Lucille made many cherished memories and friendships there. She worked with math clubs and badminton clubs and proudly supported all musical and dramatic performances. Fellow teachers from those years became life-long pals.

Lucille nurtured a large pool of friendships from many walks of life. Regardless of how busy she was, she set aside time to keep in contact with friends and family through regular phone calls, letters or visits.

Lucille's sharp and mathematical brain loved to be challenged. She interested herself in financial planning by joining an investment club. She was fascinated by bridge and she continually played, studied and honed her skills until her hands were no longer able to hold the cards. She joined the Canadian Federation of University Women where, for twenty years, she attended monthly meetings, met many other like-minded women and greatly enjoyed being a member of varied interest groups.

Lucille had excellent skills in the kitchen, some natural, many learned from her mom growing up on the farm. Her food was down-home delicious and she revelled in having a large group at her table.
She loved to sew and made many of her own clothes as well as outfits for her daughter and grand-daughters and their dolls. She also made cushions, chair covers and treasured baby quilts.
Music was another stimulating and nourishing pastime for Lucille. She would play the piano for hours and she loved singing, accompanying others, and performing in or attending concerts.

Lucille was physically active all her life. As a younger person there were few sports she shied away from. She played baseball and hockey, cycled, swam, canoed, water skied and cross-country skied. She continued participating in other sports like badminton, skating and downhill skiing, well into her retirement years. Badminton was a real favourite, and as a true competitor, she pushed herself to be a top player. She got the family out playing badminton which was simultaneously great fun, and an opportunity for family bonding and memory-making. Everyone she played badminton with would find themselves being coached by Lucille on how to improve their technique or game strategy!

Later in life, Lucille pursued a deep desire to draw and paint, spent countless hours hunched over her canvasses, perfecting colour, light and shadow and instructing herself until she became a fine artist.

A large part of Lucille's soul always remained in New Brunswick and she was pulled back there every year to be recharged. Her parents and most of her siblings lived there, and would connect at "the beach" every summer as the family had built cottages in a row, on land at Cumberland Point on Grand Lake. Time spent at the lake was truly magical and Lucille made the trip there every summer until her 90th year. She loved history and was a wealth of knowledge with respect to the McNamara stories and family tree. She kept a yearly journal recording family news and goings-on at the cottage every summer.
She thrived on the peace, fresh air, time gardening and sitting in the screened-in porch, and especially having access to the lake where she would swim, paddleboat and play. But most of all she plugged-in with her beloved family and relished every chance to gather, eat, laugh, play cards and sing together. The ultimate in happiness for Lucille was when her children and grandchildren could visit and stay at the cottage during the summer and share her love of that space. It is most certainly where her spirit will reside and it is where she will be laid to rest.

Lucille has spent the last years of her journey at Malton Village Long Term Care and we would like to thank the wonderful staff for their kindness and gentle care.

A Private Family Service will be livestreamed; please click on the link below.
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