Mary Ann Jones

Mary Ann Jones 86 of Treasure Island, Florida passed away peacefully with her children by her side and at home Monday, April 18th. Her journey to join our Lord, Jesus Christ began two days before her 87th birthday. She is the daughter of Mary and Peter Roman who preceded her in death, as did her sister Barbara Suppo. She is survived by her son, Dennis (Debra) Jones and daughter, Jacqueline (Lou) Russo. She is also survived by her brother, Peter Roman Jr. and nephews, Michael Suppo, Paul Roman and Mark Roman. and Grandchildren, Daniel, Joshua, Christopher, Nicholas and Savannah. She leaves behind 4 great Grandchildren.

She was born in Muse, PA and grew up during the depression and World War ll. Her parents were hard working immigrants from the Ukraine who instilled into their children the value of strong work ethics. She was a beautiful independent lady, who was the modern woman of her time before the world understood the meaning. She married Harry “Bucky” Jones at the age of 19. They built a wonderful life and family together. Unfortunately, after only 13 years of marriage, she became a widow and her life was forever changed. With two small children to raise on her own, she quickly learned how to become that independent modern woman. Mary Ann’s prior work experience had including banking, accounting and working for an Insurance/Travel Agency. When she moved her family from Pennsylvania to Ohio, she was quickly offered positions at 3 companies and chose to work as an Executive Administrator/ Ticket Agent for Northwest Airlines.

Opportunities to travel became abundant and she saw the world from the US to Russia, Prague, China, Switzerland, Germany and throughout North America. She traveled with her children to Montana and Yellowstone National Forest when they were very young. She taught them to snow ski and was fortunate to go on many ski trips with them to Aspen, Telluride and Park City.

She had many hobbies and interests. She was very athletic and health conscience. Her sporting activities included Golf, Tennis, snow skiing, running, ice skating, roller skating, and bowling. She enjoyed everything that was outdoors, and she had a passion for gardening and yard work. She was very proud of her landscaping and preferred to do that work herself. She has been known to tear out an entire lawn and replant grass with seeds and straw.

She was also an excellent cook. Her friends would say “Your Mom could have scraps in the fridge, and she still would cook up an excellent meal!” She continued her mother’s tradition of baking during the holidays and especially baking the favorite Christmas cookie recipes to give away for holiday gifts. It gave her such pleasure to cook meals for everyone and entertain. Her most popular dishes were Pierogis, Chicken & Dumplings, Linguini with white clam sauce and her Pot Roasts but she always showed up with a fresh baked apple pie.

Although she lived a fun-filled life, Mary Ann never re-married. She would always say “There was never a man that could live up to your father.” She filled her free time with her family and her friends. She spent time volunteering at Bayfront Medical Center in downtown St. Petersburg where she worked in the ICU as a patient/family coordinator. She also was a volunteer for the local Salvation Army. For many years she spent the summer and fall months in Berea, Ohio and the winters down in Florida until she finally moved permanently to Florida in 1985 to be closer to her children

She was an avid reader and preferred reading non-fiction. World Wars and World History became her main topics of interest. She became and expert on the early presidents during the development of our country. She would have hours of conversation on history with anyone who was interested, particularly her grandchildren. She also kept up to date on the politics of this nation and expressed her opinions regularly.

If you needed someone to talk to for advice or just a lending ear, she was always there. Always ready to help in anyway that she could and if you had a secret you wanted to share with her, you could be sure that she would always keep it to herself. Another famous line of Mary Ann’s was “A tiger never changes his stripes!” and “Never trust a man that doesn’t dance.” Dancing and music brought so much joy to her. She studied piano as a little girl and was sure that her children would get the same opportunity. Music was always playing in her home, especially on Saturday mornings which was cleaning day. For a single mother with two children, she ran a tight ship. She always followed the rules and made sure that everyone else was doing the same. If there is one thing that she would want people to remember about her is that she always believed in Family First.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mary Ann's honor to Suncoast Hospice Foundation, Tunnel to Towers Foundation or to the American Cancer Society

If you are unable to physically attend Mary Ann's funeral mass, please visit St Jerome Catholic Church Facebook page or Website to access live stream.