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Elizabeth Jones
October 16, 1922 - October 11, 2015
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<div itemprop="description">&ldquo;Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.&rdquo; Psalm 116:15 <br /> <br /> <br />Betty Jones, of Roseview Manor Thunder Bay, passed into her new life peacefully in her sleep, Sunday, October 11, 2015 &ndash; 5 days short of her 93rd birthday. Elizabeth Alice Kerby was born at the General Hospital Calgary, October 16, 1922 to William and Bertha Kerby. She enjoyed a rich childhood with 3 brothers and 2 sisters, roaming the foothills of SW Calgary. She loved roller skating, ice skating, bowling and basketball. One particular joy was playing in the City of Calgary Baseball League every summer in her teens. <br /> <br /> <br />Betty&rsquo;s faith was foundational to who she was and what she did. As a girl she attended Sunday school faithfully, memorized whole chapters of the Bible perfectly and received recognition for eleven years of perfect attendance. She had a zest for life, a deep faith in God&rsquo;s goodness and lived in service of others regardless of their station. She just naturally went the extra mile for anyone. <br /> <br /> <br />Betty graduated from Western Canada High School in 1940 and obtained a job with the City of Calgary Light, Power and Water Department, as a stenographer/typist. She was soon promoted to analyst using a large computational machine. It was there she met Fred Jones, a younger, handsome accountant. On her 21st birthday he proposed with an engagement ring, just before leaving for the war as a Navigator in Lancaster bombers. He was 19. He returned after the war to his City job and they were married in May 1946. Two children followed (Reg 1948 &amp; Diane 1951) and Betty became a homemaker extraordinaire. <br /> <br />Betty and Fred became deeply involved with their church and were soon founding members of a new venture, Bethany Chapel in a SW Calgary suburb. They led the youth ministry at this new church, taking young people skating on country sloughs in winter and playing baseball in summer. <br /> <br /> <br />Fred was hired by Husky Oil in Calgary and eventually promoted to Manager of their Northwestern Ontario office in Fort William in 1955. Thus began a 30 year adventure for the family. Along with two young couples also recently arrived, they began a ministry to children in the Fort William area with Friday night bible and craft classes. In 1958 this moved to Fred and Betty&rsquo;s home on Rosewood Crescent. Friday nights their basement saw 75+ kids and parents, making Popsicle stick baskets, painting plaster wall plaques, making bird houses, etc.&hellip;&hellip; and hearing bible stories. Betty&rsquo;s craft skills were central to its success. She could make something out of anything. <br /> <br /> <br />In 1959 the three couples acquired a church building at Brock and Edward and Westmount Gospel Chapel was born. The Friday night kids program moved over within a few years. But Betty&rsquo;s home was still central. Youth meetings, sing-songs and Sunday dinner were legendary. She would run home between services to check on something so there was an amazing dinner on the table by 1pm. It was not unusual to have 14 squeezed around roast beef, garden vegetables and Boston cream pie. Newcomers had an automatic invite. Singles from around the world found a second home. Visiting missionaries, travellers enroute, even homeless people, found a bed. <br /> <br /> <br />Over the years Betty&rsquo;s reputation for crafts came to the attention of the community. In 1964 she was hired by the Lakehead Association for the Mentally Retarded (now Community Living Thunder Bay) to set up a sheltered workshop for adults. She began with 4 clients working out of the 3rd floor of an old house attached to the YM-YWCA on Red River Road. Before then, there was no place to go after Twinhaven School. Developmentally challenged people were hidden away at home or in institutions. This changed dramatically as the program grew quickly into ARC Industries with a succession of buildings and locations. She soon hired Kay Wagar whose team became famous in the 60s for their wedding car tops and plastic flower decorations, and later Monty Parks who brought an artistic flair to the many products clients made and sold. In the late 60s she eventually designed, built and managed a new building on Fort William Road (now The Monty Parks Centre.) She and her staff were successful in giving people real work and dignity, placing some clients in fulltime jobs throughout the City. At her retirement as Director of ARC in the 80s, she was responsible for some 130 clients and 10 staff. Betty received the City of Thunder Bay Achievement Award in 1979 for her contributions to the community through her advocacy both locally and provincially. In 2012 she was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal for her service to Canada, also in recognition of improving the lives of the developmentally challenged citizens of Thunder Bay. Her legacy lives on today in the expanded programming of Community Living. <br /> <br /> <br />In 1983 Fred &amp; Betty moved to St Vincent as Fred worked for CUSO in strengthening the Credit Union movement in the West Indies. They were again engaged in church work and social service. They returned in 1985 but Betty&rsquo;s health deteriorated over the years. They lived in Sudbury and Ottawa until 1991 when Fred passed away suddenly at the age of 67. In 1993 Betty returned to Calgary to live with her sister Daisy and be near her brothers. She returned to Thunder Bay in 2011, being the last of the Kerby family. <br /> <br /> <br />Betty is survived by her son Reg of Thunder Bay (Marianne Hamilton), their daughters Jennifer and Maureen (Gaby Tordjman), and great grand-children Sonia and Zoe; and daughter Diane Walford of Ottawa (Gordon Walford), their son Graham, daughter Alison (fianc&eacute; Warren Deveau) and great grandchildren Dakota, Tanisha, Geoffen and Cheyenne. <br /> <br /> <br />Betty enjoyed her last few years at both Glacier Ridge and Hilldale Gardens, with thanks to the staff. The family is particularly and deeply grateful to all the staff of Celeste House at Roseview Manor. Their care and love for Mom was evident throughout the past year. And our thanks to those who visited Mom. Even in her pain and weakness, Betty continued to demonstrate her gratefulness and love for others to the end. <br /> <br /> <br />A Celebration of Betty&rsquo;s Life will be held at Redwood Park Church, Sunday October 18, 2015 at 2:30 pm with a reception to follow. Internment will take place Monday at 10 am at Sunset Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations to &ldquo;Confederation College&rdquo; http://www.confederationcollege.com/advancement, toward the Betty Jones Bursary would be greatly appreciated. It supports students studying in the Developmental Services Worker program. <br /> <br /></div>