Marian K. Jones

Marian Kathryn (Kempel) Jones passed away peacefully at the age of 101 on Saturday, September 2, 2023, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She is survived by her seven children: Christine (Gustav) Bjorklund, Michael (Kristine) Jones, David (Stacey) Jones, James (Holly) Jones, Philip (Annette) Jones, Paul (Jean) Jones, and Elizabeth (Douglas) Thompson; 18 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren and two siblings; one sister, Jean (Richard Murphy) (Glenn) Grever and one brother, John (Dorothy) Kempel. Marian is preceded in death by her husband, Robert Ernest Jones, one grandchild, Jeffrey Jones, 5 siblings: Alden (Dorothy) Kempel, Ruth (Robert) Block, Warren (Helen) Kempel, Melvin (Joan) Kempel, and Ralph (Nancy) Kempel and her parents, Fred and Alma Kempel. Marian was born on May 28, 1922, in the small “blink and you miss it” farming town of Loran, Illinois. Raised on a dairy farm with her seven siblings, Marian's fondest memories are of her life with her family on that farm and riding in a horse-drawn sleigh, through the snow to her grandparents' house on Sundays (or walking through the orchard when the weather was warm). Marian's trail-blazing father ensured that his children had the opportunity to go to college. Marian attended Teacher's College in Northern Illinois and soon began teaching in Shabbona, Illinois. When WWII broke out, Marian was recruited to teach on the Navy base in Balboa, Panama, in the Panama Canal Zone. While there, she met and married Bob (known as Ernie to his siblings), her husband. After the war, they relocated to Northern Virginia. They had seven children, who are all thriving today, Marian loved to garden, though often lamented the fact that red Virginia clay was nothing like the rich soil in Illinois, fed off the banks of the Mississippi River. She was adept at sewing and loved to teach the art. She played the piano for her church choir while growing up, and later gave lessons to her own children and the neighborhood children as well. Marian was an ardent volunteer for the Boy Scouts, 4-H, Aglow Christian Fellowship, the Pro-Life Movement, Catholic Jail Ministries, Bible studies, and more. She was a staunch supporter, ally, and prayer warrior of anyone who needed help or support in a time of need. Marian loved to cook, and was no stranger to packing her car with a home-cooked meal and delivering it to anyone she thought could use it! When asked, “What is your secret to a long life?”, Marian often replied "I was raised on a farm and we grew our own food," and she quoted scripture: “Love the Lord with your whole heart, mind, and soul. Not my will, but Thine be done.” Simply stated, Marian lived her life in service to God.