Tribute Wall
In Memory of
Charlotte Ann Jones
1930 - 2021
Loading...
D
Debbie Milliken posted a condolence
Monday, January 17, 2022
A message from Deborah Milliken
I am making a donation in Ann's memory to the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Speech Language Pathology. They do research in swallowing disorders. I also noted that she was a U of T alumni, so thought this would be appropriate.
Debbie
L
Lori Fournier donated to Canadian Breast Cancer Support Fund
Thursday, December 30, 2021
In memory of Mrs. Jones. She is a light that will continue to shine. Lx
Please wait
A
Andrew Jones posted a condolence
Monday, December 27, 2021
The Market Square French Conversation Group Remembers Ann Jones
It was in the summer of 2016, when two of us (Rona and Keith) had a brief conversation at the south end of Market Lane Park. One of the things we spoke about was French. Keith learned that Rona had spent time in France, and told her of his many French connections. The two of us began conversing in rusty French, and it took no time for the suggestion to surface that we ought to meet regularly.
Keith immediately thought of Ann Jones, knowing of her broad background in French, and asked her if she would be interested in getting together twice a week to speak French. Her answer was a single, definite, enthusiastic word: “Absolument !”
Ann threw herself into the exercise energetically. Twice a week we got together, on Mondays and Thursdays at 4 p.m. We began by talking about whatever came to mind. Then we moved on to discussing magazine and newspaper articles in French. As our level of sophistication grew, we began tackling French poetry. By my count, we read and discussed 107 articles in French, on a scarcely believable range of topics, and we read, discussed, and translated into English 47 poems in French. Our group of three became a group of five, and then one of six. In pre-Covid days, some of us would meet in Ann’s condo unit, where she shared with us another of her keen interests: scotch. On those occasions, the scotch and the French flowed freely.
There were quite a few wonderful sessions in summer spent in the courtyard, where we were surrounded by plants and birds whose names in French we struggled to dredge up. And on a few of those occasions, Ann’s daughter Debbie joined us. By the time we had been meeting for several months, inhibitions had been discarded, and some of us plunged in fearlessly, brandishing mistake-laden French. Ann would sometimes offer a correction, then quickly put a hand to her mouth, wondering if offence had been taken. There was never any offence, of course. Ann was by far the most accomplished student among us.
Keith Weaver remembers many things about Ann but a few in particular.
“I remember the exercise of installing her fridge and putting on the door. She talked about it for days, as though I had single-handedly repaired the Hubble telescope. I remember her unfailing appearances at the weekly coffee meets (Market Squares) in the basement of the St Lawrence Market. And I remember her dry sense of humour. But her dry sense of humour didn’t stand in the way of an uproarious laugh as the opportunity offered itself. There were many “Ann moments”. The ones I recall are many, but here are two.
“At one point, we all undertook to read the French novel Clochemerle, and it has some raucous, almost raunchy scenes in the French fashion. Ann enjoyed the writing, and although I’m not sure she ever finished the book, she could be relied upon to laugh at some absurd byplay involving a pissoir in a small French village.
“In one of our meetings, I relayed to the group, in French, a French translation I had found of what purported to be a Russian saying: ‘Quelqu’un qui sourit trop est ou fou ou américain.’I thought Ann would herniate herself from laughing.”
John Pluscauskas had a much longer connection with Ann in Market Square, having been corner unit neighbours in 212 and 312 for 18 years.
John says:
“I remember the jazz group concerts in her condo, but I was so pleased to get to know her better in the more than four years of our Monday and Thursday French group meetings. I loved hearing her impeccable French. She also rescued us when we fumbled about with vocabulary. On my bookshelf I have a Dictionnaire Larousse, the gold standard of French-English translation. But for me Ann was our living Larousse as we searched for le mot français. I will always remember her as we talked, reminisced and laughed.”
Rona Waddington says:
“I particularly enjoyed hearing about Ann's ferocious Scrabble games with Debbie. She always claimed that she'd lost, which makes Debbie a genius because Ann was great with words. She had near perfect timing and could insert, into any conversation, a witty and concise remark that would give us all a great big belly laugh. I loved it when she passed along fascinating tidbits that she'd picked up from one of her many George Brown courses, too. ...Also, Ann would occasionally give me books that she'd read and enjoyed, telling me that my mom might enjoy them. So, I'd give these to mom, then mom would reciprocate (each one giving me their review). For a while there was quite a book trade going on! I love that Ann and my mom had a connection without ever having met in person. Ann had such a broad reach and was adored by everyone.”
We all have recollections of Ann from our French conversation sessions, and other occasions. Trevor Levere notes a couple of items.
“Ann always had her French dictionary to hand, called it Robert Collins, and would pass it to whichever one of us needed to check a word – where appropriate, along with her reading glasses.They worked!
When Ann fell and needed an ambulance, I told her of my mother's similar accident. Her message, relayed via a friend, said "no rush, first finish your breakfast, then come and get me off the floor". Ann, in pain, still laughed heartily – and said she could see herself sending a similar message.”
Among the members of the French conversation group, Frank Plue is a long-standing resident at Market Square, and he has this to say:
“Over the years we have savoured together with Ann a dram or two of the nectar of the highlands, marvelled to watch her as an extremely fit senior athlete rushing out to play tennis, appreciated her as a valued member of the Library Committee, enjoyed her company over a bridge game, empathized with her as she recovered from her various injuries and illnesses, vicariously enjoyed her travel adventures and was amazed by her fluency in French. Throughout it all she radiated class, grace, and intelligence.”
We will all miss Ann, not only when we get together now for French conversation, but at all other Market Square social occasions. But we each take away with us something special from the time we had with her.
And what we will take away will be something “Ann”, something “French”, and something very dear.
Trevor Levere, Frank Plue, John Pluscauskas, Rona Waddington, Keith Weaver
A
Andrew Jones uploaded photo(s)
Sunday, December 26, 2021
/public-file/5735/Ultra/986eb708-1d6f-4a2f-b154-8afeab9db2b9.jpg
Wedding day
A
Andrew Jones uploaded photo(s)
Sunday, December 26, 2021
/public-file/5733/Ultra/0ffc0f28-df5e-4379-9858-f4348d039359.jpg
/public-file/5734/Ultra/1d92e6bd-7851-4f21-b9c0-a6db1708ebf2.png
Recent pictures of C. Ann
K
Kim Donaldson posted a condolence
Sunday, December 26, 2021
Dear Andy, Debbie and Neil,
It took me having teen age and young adult children of my own to realize what a wonderfully patient woman your mother was. She was also kind, forgiving and decent, words not often used these days. She had a definite streak of p&v so nothing ever got too syrupy. She was good to me in a very real way, accepting me into the family as I worked thru the death and dying of my Dad.
And generous! Oh my, yes. How many different friends of yours did she feed, water, entertain at the cottage, keep track of and tell those incredibly detailed stories to? Countless numbers. She also kept track of the nicknames.
My enduring image of C.Ann is of her on her 50th bday, refusing to dress up for the party RH had insisted on throwing for her, that she wanted no part of, and refusing to wear anything other than Debbie's school uniform, just to show (the other "old ladies") that she could.
She did Grade 9-13 French 5x ea. Once thru on her own and then subsequently repeating it with ea of you. Small wonder she could translate!. She also taught all of you to drive a stick shift, if memory serves. C.Ann ran a very tight ship in the dining room table manners protocols, but as a result you could pretty much all be sent into any environment and wouldn't embarrass her.
And lastly, I remember when my brother died. I was 23, so still very much part of the "234 Rosedale Heights" universe. I recall discussing it with her, and wondering how long it would take until everyone forgot abt Kevin. She shared that she still thought of your brother who died as an infant every single day, and that so would my mother think of Kevin until the day she died. And CAnn was right. As I am sure she thought of that child, of Michael, and of course your Dad (another unsung hero).
And now you will think of her.
Love to all,
Kim
B
Betty Chandler posted a condolence
Sunday, December 26, 2021
To Andrew, Debbie, and Neil: Sending condolences from Betty Chandler and June Chandler. Our parents shared such an amazing lifetime friendship: the Austins, the Bests, the Chandlers, the Crawfords, and the Jones. These families have been part of my entire life. Their long term friendships stretching up to to 70 years have always been an amazing example to me of the value of cherishing and maintaining friends. They are all so fortunate that they had this extraordinary group of people in their lives. When my parents moved to New Brunswick, they still maintained the friendships and gathered with the group every time they returned to Toronto. I was fortunate to have been included in these gatherings on a regular basis. Ann and Bob were always hospitable and gracious and interesting and welcoming. I feel blessed to have known them and I know their friendship enriched my parents' lives. I am so sorry for your loss, but am very happy for you that you had such an amazing woman as your mother for such a very long time. Betty Chandler
A
Andrew Jones posted a condolence
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Hi Neil,
It’s MM Frezell Johnson here. I was sorry to read about your mom. It brought back a fun memory though.
I was an au pair in Paris the summer of 1979. Your mom was there on a trip at the same time with Debbie, if I recall correctly. She connected with me and we spent a great day together. Your mom took us to a café for lunch, toward the end of eating my dessert I noticed some mould on it. I was aghast - your mom, cool as could be said it wouldn’t kill me:)) I always loved that. When we left the restaurant and hopped on the metro she told us a story about sneaking into the first class section when she was a student at the Sorbonne. I thought she was the coolest and I always thought she was brilliant as well:)
That same summer I happened to run into Michael and Jim Seljak on a bridge in Paris! They ended up using my apartment for a couple of nights while I stayed with a friend.
Many wonderful memories of the Jones family. Please give my best to Andrew and Debbie as well.
Merry Christmas and with fond regards,
Mary Margaret
A
Andrew Jones posted a condolence
Saturday, December 25, 2021
A couple of emails from Andy's friends:
Kim passed on the message of your mother's passing. I am sorry to hear it. Although she was with you for a long time, the loss of a parent is always a blow. Please pass on my sympathies to your family as well as those of Neil and Debbie.
Your mother always welcomed me into your home. She was a wonderful woman.
Hey bro Kim gave me the news about your mom’s passing. Hope you’re doing OK. I think we all feel a weight of sadness at this moment in our lives when we lose a loved one that’s been such a great influence. I grieve with you brother. I have very fond memories of your mother being a great role model, smart funny household organizer and put up with our sh*t. Always with a smile.
B
Bill Best posted a condolence
Friday, December 24, 2021
To the Jones children, I was saddened to learn of you Mom's passing. Your Mom and Dad were very special and dear friends to my Mom and Dad, Muriel and Roy Best. They loved visiting them, at their cottage, where my Dad made the flag pole. Their decides of the Gourmet Group, New Year's Eve gatherings and the Y's Mens and Menettes Club brought them very close together. Your Dad was a mentor to me and both your parents left a wonderful mark on me. They were kind, interested and interesting people. A couple of grace, panache and elegance to me as a young man. Please accept my heartfelt sympathies on behalf of Sheila and I. We treasure the beautiful blanket that they gave us as a wedding gift. Wishing you the best of season despite your loss. May you hold many, many fond memories of Anne and Bob close. Fondly, Bill Best
L
Lori Fournier posted a condolence
Friday, December 24, 2021
For years I accompanied Debbie to the cottage for weekends of fun and great food (oh those bbqs!), and Mrs. Jones was always so welcoming -- she treated me like a member of the family in every way. It wasn't until later in life that I realized how much work is involved in an extra guest, and I never really had the chance to thank her. I loved that she occasionally nabbed me for a discussion about books, though, and I hope I kept up my end.
Debbie told me recently that she was asking after my son. Thank you, Mrs. Jones, for the kindness and respect you showed me and my family. I think the world is a better place for having had you in it. You were a gem.
D
D Milliken posted a condolence
Thursday, December 23, 2021
To Ann's family...........
We were so sorry to hear of Ann's passing and we wish to express our deepest sympathies to all of you. We met Ann several years ago through my brother Bill Milliken whenever we visited Toronto. We found your Ann a very pleasant person and her academic achievements remarkable along with her wit and intellect and an interesting person to have met and known. May she rest in peace in God's hands and reunite with the important ones who were part of her life's journey. At this time of loss, " may God's Blessings descend upon you all in never showers of love." Sincerely Dave & Doriel Milliken, Vancouver, British Columbia. December 23, 2021
A
Andrew uploaded photo(s)
Thursday, December 23, 2021
/public-file/5728/Ultra/3badb210-5b55-4167-840b-7469d0add783.jpg
Andy here, Ann's son. Here is a nice picture of Mom in the 70s.
N
Nancy Hall donated to CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY - SOCIÉTÉ CANADIENNE DU CANCER
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Ann truly was an extraordinary woman. She will be sorely missed. Our happy memories of her will help ease the heartache. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Please wait
J
The family of Charlotte Ann Jones uploaded a photo
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
/tribute-images/8495/Ultra/Charlotte-Jones.jpg
Please wait
