Frances “Fran” Hildreth Jones, age 95, of Madison, Alabama, passed away on March 14, 2025.
Frances was born on July 16, 1929, in Greene County, Alabama. She was born at the start of the great depression. The family moved often to find work, and she attended several schools in Pickens County. She graduated from Aliceville High School in 1948, where she was a member of the yellow jacket marching band and served on the senior court. After high school, Fran attended Larimore Business College in Florence and received a Secretarial Certification. She worked for Landers Office Supply and later for Reynolds Metals Company in Sheffield, where she met Tom Jones.
On April 9, 1955, Tom and Frances married at the York Terrace Baptist Church in Sheffield. They settled in the Petersville area of Florence before moving to Huntsville in 1963. Frances was a wife and homemaker and later worked secretarial jobs at Martin Marietta and Kelly Services before her employment at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) began in 1976. There, she was a secretary to the Dean in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. She retired from UAH on March 31, 1992.
Frances was diagnosed with dementia in her early 80s. While her memory was robbed of a great deal, she kept her sense of humor and appreciation toward others. She often thanked her caregivers for their assistance. She was a resident in the memory care unit at Harbor Chase of Huntsville for several years. She later moved to Valley View Health and Rehab in Madison.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas “Tom” Jones; son, Edward Blake Jones; parents, Lawrence Austin and Fannie Bess Hildreth; and siblings Bernice Stephenson, Jack Hildreth, Herman Hildreth, Bess Morton, William “Bill” Hildreth, and Dean Calhoun.
Survivors include her son, Thomas Mark Jones (Ginger), and daughter Sandra Parton (Jimmy); grandchildren Ryan Spencer, Chelsea Gaillard (Bobby), Morgan High (Nathan), and Erin Jones. She is also the great-grandmother to Ava and Michael Spencer and Harper Grace and Nolan Blake Gaillard. Other survivors include her sister-in-law, Zee Hildreth, and several nieces and nephews.
Pallbearers will be Bobby Gaillard, Nathan High, Glenn Hildreth, Greg Hildreth, Larry Morton, and Ryan Spencer.
We want to thank the caregivers at both Harbor Chase and Valley View, who provided love and care to her over the years. Also, we want to thank Amedisys Hospice Care, who provided comfort and care to her and the family in her last days.
In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the Alzheimer’s Association in her memory.
Visitation will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025, at Berryhill Funeral Home from 10:00 to 11:00 am. The funeral service will immediately follow in the chapel, with Al Geise officiating. Internment will follow at Huntsville Memory Gardens.
