July 25, 1926 – Oct. 16, 2019

NATCHEZ— Services for Mary Ann Brandon Jones, 93, of Natchez, who died Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Trinity Episcopal Church with the Rev. Ken Ritter officiating. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until service time at the church parish house.    
Burial will follow the church service at Natchez City Cemetery under the direction of Laird Funeral Home.
Mary Ann was born July 25, 1926, in Natchez, the daughter of Gerard Hamilton Brandon and Kate Doniphan Prichard Brandon.
She was the great-great-granddaughter of Gerard C. Brandon, the first native-born governor of Mississippi.
After growing up in Natchez and graduating from Natchez High School in 1943, she attended Stephens College in Missouri from 1943-1945, where she studied aviation and flew solo, when there were few female pilots. She transferred to the University of Mississippi, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority and was selected as the prettiest girl on campus. She graduated from Ole Miss in 1947.
After college, she married her high-school beau, Lester Kenneth Jones, in 1949. She lived all her life in Natchez, where she was involved in various civic, church and social activities, including serving as the Mississippi Episcopal Diocesan Altar Guild Directress for a three-year term; on the Trinity Episcopal Church Altar Guild for many years; as president of the Trinity Episcopal Church Women; and on the first Trinity Episcopal Day School Board of Trustees. She also served as president of the Natchez Tri Delta Alumnae Association.
Mary Ann was a member of the Pilgrimage Garden Club, the Garden Club of America, Natchez Junior Auxiliary, First Families of Mississippi, Daughters of the American Revolution and Colonial Dames of America.

She was also a member of the Order of the Garter. The “Garter Girls” were six inseparable girlhood friends who shared a tradition of wearing the same garter, which has been passed down through subsequent generations.
Mary Ann was an avid bridge player and enjoyed bird watching, working crossword puzzles daily, solving jigsaw puzzles and gardening that included a large collection of long-stem tea roses. She also loved her routine of her 6:00 o’clock scotch and watching Wheel of Fortune. Now, for her it will always be 6 o’clock.
She loved playing a family card game called Spite. She said we played it when we were sick, when we were happy, when someone died, when family gathered, and she loved to win. The last time she played, she won. She went out a winner!
She was an intelligent and well-informed lady who could hold a conversation with anyone on any topic. She engaged positively with people through her infectious laugh, wonderful wit and sense of humor. She made great first impressions and had many life-long friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and husband, Lester Kenneth Jones.
She is survived by two daughters, Kim Monette Jones Garrett and her husband, Milton; Mary Ann Cartwright Jones Loughlin and her husband John; one son, Lester Kenneth Jones Jr. and his wife, Dona-Marie; eight grandchildren, Mackenzie Lee Jones, Amy Harrison Womble and her husband, Jonathan; Jacob Harrison and his wife, Shana, Brandy Pritchard, Tammy Lord, Anna Loughlin, M.D., John Loughlin Jr., and Clare Loughlin Swanes; 15 great-grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren; three sisters, Kate Don Green, Pat Dale, Barbara Kaiser and her husband, Hayden; and a number of nieces and nephews.
The family would like to offer special thanks to her caregivers: Ivy Irving, Valerie Smith, Lauvette Baker, and the Oxford Health Caretakers- Doris Fitzgerald and Geraldine Fells.
The family requests memorials to be made to Trinity Episcopal Church in Natchez, or a charity of your choosing.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at lairdfh.com.