Rebecca Frances Jones

Rebecca Frances Jones, age 68, passed away peacefully, on August 23, 2022, of natural causes. She had been hospitalized in Canandaigua for nearly one month.
     Becky was born in Fort Madison, Iowa in 1953, and moved to Springfield, Illinois, and later Barrington, RI, with her family. She was active in athletics, ranked as the top sprinter in an all-city school meet, and participated in cheerleading throughout high school. A popular student, she also enjoyed performing in school talent shows.
Becky attended Green Mountain Junior College in Vermont, and then moved to Hobart, Tasmania in 1972, where she earned her certification in children's special education. There, she spent her free time enjoying the beach as she had earlier in Rhode Island and later in Florida. Likewise, Becky relished social events and while in Australia she attended the grand opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973.
     Becky returned to the US late in the 1970s and lived in St Petersburg, FL and Reno NV before settling near a dear college friend in the Finger Lakes area of upstate NY in 1989. There she met her partner of 30 years, Jimmy Smith. Throughout her life, Becky made friends easily and loved to laugh. Though at times afflicted by physical and mental health, she had a strong survival instinct and her sharp memory remained particularly exceptional in her later years. Becky enjoyed gatherings with her family and friends, local outings, cooking, shopping, and spending time with her home health aide, with whom she had established a deep friendship. Her neighbors in Bloomfield, including the neighborhood letter carrier, were a source of delight. She took great pleasure in long, meandering conversations on a variety of topics, and would typically wrap up by saying, "Good talk! Thanks - good talk!" She credited her health care providers, Alcoholics Anonymous, and, most of all, her religious faith for comfort and guidance along her life's path.
     Rebecca was preceded in death by her parents, Marian and Leslie Jones, and her partner Jimmy. She is survived by her brothers, Thomas and Robert (wife Judy) of Maryland. Her ashes will be co-mingled with Jimmy's and interred at the Jones family plot in Benton, IL in a ceremony shared with her namesake Aunt Frances (Jones) Casselman, who passed away earlier this year. Memorial contributions may be made to the FF Thompson Foundation, 350 Parrish St., Canandaigua, NY 14424. Arrangements are by Morton and Johnston Funeral Home of Benton, IL. Condolences may be offered at www.mortonjohnstonfuneralhome.com or in person Saturday, October 15 at 1pm at Morton & Johnston.  Interment at Masonic and Odd Fellows Cemetery will follow.

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