Audrey Jane Jones
Audrey Jones
1928-2015
Audrey Jane Dorsey was born 18 April 1928 in Baltimore, Maryland, to James Francis Dorsey and Elizabeth Roselea McNamara Dorsey. She died 26 January 2015.
Audrey’s younger years were spent surrounded by a multitude of extended family members from both the Dorsey and McNamara clans. Indeed, it was not unusual to have cousins as neighbors, or an elderly aunt or grandparent living in her childhood home.
Audrey attended high school at St. Cecelia’s Academy in Washington, D.C., and graduated in 1946. Later, she attended Dunbarton College of the Holy Cross in Washington, D.C., an all-girls, liberal-arts college run by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. She also worked at a bank in Washington, D.C., before marrying at the age of 24.
Audrey was introduced to Marlyn Lynn “Jonesie” Jones by common friends Maria Rhinehart, and Betty and Arthur Beers, and they married on 28 June 1952 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Washington, D.C. Audrey and Marlyn lived for a short time in Arizona while fulfilling Jonesie’s commitment to the military, after which they moved to Washington state and lived the remainder of their lives.
They had homes in Richmond Beach, Capitol Hill, Tacoma, Chehalis and Bellevue. Most recently, Audrey lived at the Aegis Care Center in Issaquah. While living in Bellevue, Jonesie and Audrey ran a day care center for 15 years.
Audrey loved being a mother, and she and Jonesie welcomed 10 children into their home: Steven (Lynette), Tim (Jan), Maria (Kevin) Griffin, Teresa, Lisa (Wayne) McDonald, Larry (Lynne), David, Kathleen (Brent) Ponto, Robin (David) Betz and Laurie (Alex) Sergeeff.
Audrey was preceded in death by her beloved Jonesie, her parents and her sister Betty Kiesel.
She is survived by her brothers James Dorsey and David Dorsey; her 10 children and their spouses; 32 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Issaquah.