Darlene Kay Von Stroh Jones

She was preceded in death by her parents, Wanda (Blades) and Alvin Von Stroh. She is survived by husband, Douglas Jones of Upper Arlington; sister, Cynthia Wilfong (husband, Basil) of Dunlap, Illinois; brother, Rolland Von Stroh (wife, Catherine) of Marana, Arizona; nieces and nephews - Justin Sliney, Jennifer Cattaui, Timothy Jones, Holly Koechner, Nelson Von Stroh, Eric Von Stroh, and David Von Stroh.

Darlene graduated from Borah High School in Boise, Idaho and moved to Denver, Colorado to work as a private secretary to the regional director of Fireman’s Fund Insurance of San Francisco, a major commercial insurance company. She kept in close touch with sixteen classmates over the decades as an organizing member of a group playfully called BLAST (Borah Ladies Annual Summer Therapy). They met in the West with Darlene hosting one year in New Hampshire at her seacoast home.

Darlene and husband were married in Denver, 1966 and they began their married life in Alaska. There she took classes at Alaska Methodist University while volunteering at the Alaska Native Hospital in Anchorage helping Eskimo and Indian children from the remote villages to keep up their education while recuperating away from home. Moving to Washington D.C. she worked for ten years at the Jesuit Secondary Association national organization as secretary to the Director. She moved to Ohio in 1978 where she was employed at the OSU admissions office for 22 years.

She was a very active member of Columbus civic organizations, the Columbus Symphony in particular. This included the Symphony League and the Caprice Encore support unit as Treasurer for many years. She always sold the most pansy bowls and baskets (more than 200) in the annual Columbus Symphony drives. Darlene was a long-time member of Impresarios (now Friends of Opera Columbus), a supporter of the OSU Historic Collection of gowns and hats, a member of Lady Bugs and Buckeyes putting on shows of vintage hats for various club meetings in the area, and the OSU Women’s Club. She collected vintage clothes appropriate to her participation in the old car hobby – Model A Ford, Studebaker, and Buick clubs.

Darlene was an avid skier and tennis player, enjoying years of skiing in New England, Colorado, and Alaska with her husband and occasionally in Europe with lady friends. Foreign travel was important to her and for many years she made a regular trip with her husband to Europe in the summer and the Caribbean in the fall. Several Central and South American countries were also on her travel list.

Darlene was known by all who knew her as a kind, gentle, and genuinely nice person. She cared deeply about friendships and serviced each one to the fullest. She had a wonderful impact on many lives and will be greatly missed by all – but, none more than by her husband.

Memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on April 21, 2024 at Schoedinger Northwest, 1740 Zollinger Road, Upper Arlington, OH 43221 with a reception following. Interment will be in Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord, N. H. in June. Memorial contributions may be made to the Columbus Symphony.