Gloria Olson Jones 1933-2023

Born July 29, 1933, in Buffalo, N.Y., she was the eldest of three children of Edgar and Josephine Ippolito Olson, raised and educated in Jamestown, N.Y. She graduated from Elmira College, summa cum laude, with double degrees in biology and chemistry.

After graduation, she spent a year traveling in Europe and tutoring English before accepting a position in research at Eton Laboratories, a division of Norwich Pharmaceutical Co. From there, she moved on to heading a research laboratory at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. She earned a Master of Arts degree in physiological chemistry from the University of Buffalo (now SUNY Buffalo) and taught a course at the medical school. Later, she earned an M.A. in English, with emphasis on linguistics, from Youngstown State University.

In 1957, she married the love of her life, Roger D. Jones. In 1967, they moved to the Youngstown area, and together they founded Fireline Inc.

She taught as an adjunct professor in the English Department at YSU and was a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Nis in what was then Yugoslavia before retiring in 1992.

She rejoined Fireline Inc. as vice president of property management and special projects. During those years, she served as treasurer of the board of directors of Fireline, and later she chaired the Charitable Giving Committee.

Before coming to Youngstown, she was active in the NAACP as co-chair of the Education Committee and co-founder of the preschool program that predated Head Start, and was a regional director of the campaign to revise the Pennsylvania State Constitution.

In Ohio, she was active in and served on the board of Associated Neighborhood Centers, Citizens League of Greater Youngstown, and for more than 20 years, was an officer of the Friends of the Main Public Library. She was a member of many book clubs. She was active with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Youngstown, where she was a founding member of the Festival of the Arts that ran for 17 years.

She and her husband were very interested in education. They supported OH WOW! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology. They also supported the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley by adopting the Success After Six program at the MLK School. They supported their alma maters and established many scholarships.

Among things that brought her joy were family and friends. She enjoyed the arts, especially classical music, from chamber music to opera, and literature. She and her husband loved to travel — 48 states, more than 90 countries and across all seven continents.

She is survived by her beloved son, David W. Jones, and daughter-in-law, Caroline S. Jones; grandchildren, Elisabeth and William Phillips-Jones, and Zachary, Dylan and Isobel Wimer; stepgranddaughter, Laura Crawford; nieces, Elizabeth (Errol) Stewart, Anne Dwyer and Nancy (Wendel) Martinkovic; nephews, Robert (Jan) Williams, Thomas (Ann) Williams, James (Olivia) Dwyer, David (Mary) Olson and Christopher (Krissa) Olson; dear friend, Bonnie Olson; Paul Ndawula, “son from another mother”; and many beloved friends.

Her husband, Roger D. Jones; and daughter, Rachel Wimer, preceded her in death.

A memorial will be held at a date to be announced this August.

Arrangements are entrusted to the Wm Nicholas Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 614 Warren Ave., Niles, OH 44446.

(special notice)