Remembering Mary Gladys Jones
WICOMICO CO., Md. – Mary Gladys Jones, a woman who touched many lives within the local community, passed away earlier this week.
Jones lived to be 105 years old, before leaving this life on Monday.
At the Fruitland Community Center, a building Gladys Jones helped found, friends in the community gathered to remember her lifelong legacy.
“Ms. Mary Gladys Jones to me, she exemplified what a true educator and what a true teacher is supposed to be,” said Glendola Stevens.
“I would say she was my foundation,” said Anna Lee.
“To have someone live that long and be in education, it was just a wonderful joy,” said Charles Johnson.
The truth is, there are not many lives Mary Gladys Jones did not touch.
She spent nearly eight decades as an educator for the Worcester and Wicomico Counties Board of Education, impacting generations of children in the process.
“Mrs. Jones actually touched four generations of my family,” said Ruby Brown.
“I used to here the children talk about this Mrs. Jones, ‘are you going to go this Saturday, are you going to go see her today, what are you going to do today,’ and I thought, I wonder who this Mrs. Jones is, so I came over to the center one day and that’s how I met her and I saw her interact with children and it was amazing,” said Dr. Carolyn Johnston.
Mary Gladys Jones was also dedicated to serving her community and was involved with various organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the Fruitland Community Center and the NABB Research Center.
“There’s not too much Mary Gladys Jones did not do,” said Glendola Stevens. “She to me reminded me of the Energizer Bunny, she just took a licking and kept on ticking, she was non-stop, she was non-stop.”
In 2011, the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore honored Mary Gladys Jones with the first ever “Mary Gladys Jones Volunteer of the Year” award.
“Each and every year since then, we honor another individual with that award and a contribution to the charity of her choice,” said Erica Joseph, President of Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.
It’s the perfect memory of a woman who gave so much. Many will remember how she strived for perfection in work and behavior.
“She was a stickler on etiquette and she was a stickler on how you presented yourself,” said Brenda Smiley.
But no matter how you remember Mary Gladys Jones, her impact on the community is undeniable.
“She is going to be missed sorely, she will always be in my heart,” said Smiley.
Mrs. Jones will have a viewing on Friday, February 7 from 6 to 7:30 PM at Lewis N. Watson Funeral Home. There will be another service on Saturday, February 8 from 12 to 1 PM at Mt. Calvary Community Church in Fruitland.
