My mom's obituary

[firecat]

We had my Mom's obituary published in the Ottawa, Illinois, newspaper.

http://mywebtimes.com/archives/ottawa/print_display.php?id=425467


Elizabeth (Betty) Herring Mills Jones died Feb. 6 in San Mateo, Calif., due to complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was 89.

Betty was born in Ottawa on May 14, 1921, to Richard D. Mills and Grace Herring Mills. Betty was raised in Ottawa with her brothers, Robert "Bob" and Dan, and her sister, Barbara. She graduated from the Emma Willard School in New York in 1939 and received her bachelor's degree from Wellesley College in 1943, where she did honors research in physiology. She earned a master's degree in physiology at Northwestern University in Chicago in 1946.

Betty taught at Barnard College in New York City, and subsequently developed and administered the Liver Research Laboratory at St. Luke's Hospital in Chicago under the direction of Dr. Richard B. Capps. The laboratory's research work added greatly to the understanding of the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of Viral Hepatitis A.

Betty married Don P. Jones, M.D., in 1959. The couple lived in New York City and Cambridge, Mass., while Don completed his post-graduate medical training; they then settled in Grosse Pointe, Mich. Betty volunteered at the Grosse Pointe Public Library and was active in the Wellesley College Alumnae group. After Don's retirement, Betty and Don moved to Belmont, Calif., where they joined the Friends of the Belmont Library and enjoyed their part in the development and building of the new Belmont Library.

Betty is survived by her husband, Don P. Jones of San Mateo, Calif.; her daughter, Elizabeth (Stef) Jones Maruch of San Carlos, Calif.; and seven nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her siblings, Robert Mills, Daniel Mills and Barbara Tuite.

Comments

[aquaeri]

I had no idea your mother had such an illustrious career; it makes the Alzheimer's seem worse somehow.

(I have a very petty brain: Betty and Don makes me think of Betty and Don Draper from Mad Men, although I fully realise your parents were first! Given when they got married, it does suggest the Mad Men creators had a good sense of names in the era.)

[firecat]

Thank you.

I know what you mean about the Alzheimers. It's especially sad when a disease robs a person of something that matters so much to who they are.

That's interesting about Mad Men. I'm not familiar with the show but I'll have to check it out.

[aquaeri]

Yes, I know what you mean about a disease robbing a person of something very important to them - I had a friend who ultimately died of metastases of tongue cancer, but at a previous stage had had most of his tongue removed. And he was someone for whom not being able to speak was, well, he was in agony and those of us who knew him were in agony, and argh.

I've been thinking about writing some stuff about Mad Men, it's a complex show which tends to induce extreme reactions, so you may not like it. (What I've written so far is here). I'll note that as far as I can tell, your parents bore/bear no resemblance to Betty and Don Draper in terms of personalities and dynamics. It's just the same names.

[firecat]

From that post: "wow, what is our current era going to look like once it gets dissected like this in 50 years time?"

I think about this a lot. Especially because I'm turning 50 next year and it's already started as far as the era of my childhood is concerned.

(I find it amusing, puzzling, and revolting all at once that a lot of what my childhood era looks like, now that it's being dissected, is a fashion inspiration.)

[aquaeri]

Well, then you might be particularly attracted and/or repelled by Mad Men since it's that era the show is dealing with. (I think the very first season is 1960, then 1961, 1963 - they don't do every year exactly. And I don't know how far they intend to keep going, but the show is definitely not fixed at one time point.)

There are very definitely people who watch the show because the clothes and set designs are so authentic and believable, kicking into that fashion inspiration you mention. But it's the people who are living in those surroundings that fascinate me most, the way so many of them seem trapped and invisibly miserable even to themselves.

Part of what I admire about the show is how it can manage to both seem so true to and yet so critical of the early 60s.