Harriet Jones

Erie lost one of its oldest citizens when Harriet Crawford Jones, who spent most of her life in Erie, died on Wednesday January 6, 2016 at the age of 103. Harriet was born in a small house on West 5th Street to Mabel and Howard Jones on May 20, 1912. A few years later, the family -which included brothers William and Howard Jr.-moved to a larger home on West 9th Street, which would be the center of family activities for several generations.

At a time when most girls didn’t finish high school, let alone attend college, Harriet graduated from Syracuse University in 1934 with a degree in library science. She returned to Erie, then in the grip of the Great Depression, to become a social worker. She stayed in Erie until World War II, when she went to work for the American Red Cross in New York City. After the war, the Red Cross transferred Harriet to its national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

After her father died in 1955, Harriet returned to Erie to care for her mother while she worked for the Social Security Administration, advising local residents on their retirements. After her own retirement in 1974, Harriet remained active with friends, family, travel, the Erie Community Foundation, the First United Methodist Church of Erie, the Hamot Aid Society, Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, the Wing Family of America, and family history. (She was especially proud of ancestors who sailed on the Mayflower, fought in the Revolutionary War, and helped settle western Pennsylvania.) After her mother’s death in 1976, Harriet moved to a house on Vermont Avenue, where she lived until 2005, when she moved to The Regency apartments on Washington Place. She lived most recently in a senior group home on Indiana Ave.

Harriet never married or had children, but after her brothers died, she reigned as the beloved matriarch of a family that included five nieces and nephews--E. Thomas (and Cynthia Geer) Jones of Bergen, N.Y.; Leslan Jones (and the late Curtis) Carlson of Bend, Ore.; Christopher (and Rebecca Castaldi) Jones of Annapolis, Md.; Carolyn Jones (and David) Cook of Boone, N.C.; Ellen Jones (and Robert) Hoffman of Hartville, Ohio--and their families. She is also survived by her longtime caretaker and friend Cindy Onuffer of Union City. In 2012, more than 50 friends and relatives came from as far away as Arizona and Utah to celebrate Harriet’s 100th birthday.

Friends may call on the family at Burton Funeral Home and Crematory, 602 W. 10th St. on Thursday January 14th from 12 Noon until the time of the service at 2pm, with Rev. James Parkinson officiating. Burial will follow in Erie Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Erie Community Foundation, 459 W. 6th St. Erie, PA 16507.