Funeral services for Eleanore Jones, 79, will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016 at First Wyoming United Presbyterian Church with Reverend Vickie Kintzel officiating. Burial will follow in the Valley View Cemetery. Eleanore died Sept. 2, 2016 at her home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be given to the Rotary Foundation or Prairie Haven Hospice. Visitation will be at the funeral home Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the casket will be open at the church prior to the service. Arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home and friends may send condolences to the family at www.colyerfuneralhome.com.
Eleanore was born Oct. 4, 1937, to Henry and Amalia (Stricker) Reifschneider in Bayard. She was the last of nine children. She attended school in Bayard where she excelled in music and academics. She was the homecoming queen and also the Valedictorian of her graduating class. She bravely played taps on the lone trumpet for many military funerals held in Bayard. She attended Chadron State College before working at the Production Credit Association in Scottsbluff where she met customer Chuck Jones. They met, fell in love, married and moved to Huntley, Wyoming where they began an enduring and enjoyable life. She loved being a farm wife where she could take care of her husband and her soon to be arriving sons, Marty and Jeff. She was a great cook and she put on large feasts for family and friends during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Eleanore was always involved in her boy’s activities in school and sports, never missing a baseball game, basketball game or wrestling match. She enjoyed supporting the Huntley Cardinals, the UW Cowboys, the Cornhuskers, the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears.
Eleanore was always involved in her community with the Library Board, Yoder Presbyterian Church Session, Cattlewomen and Rotary. After joining the Goshen County Cattlewomen she became the local President, State President and then the President of the American National Cattlewomen. She chaired the National Beef Cook-off, taking her to locations around the country and an international trip promoting beef. She was a member of Rotary in Torrington where she and Chuck housed numerous foreign visitors, many of them from Russia with whom she formed lifelong friendships. She was the President of Torrington Rotary as well as the Assistant Governor for the region. She has many dear Rotary friends, believed in their cause and thus designates the Rotary Foundation as one of her memorials.
Eleanore’s personal time was spent as a voracious reader, being a major user of the Goshen County Library. She loved playing bridge with her friends and preparing delicious food for them when they would come to her house. In her last months she reveled in the large number of great friends who visited and helped her in so many ways. Always with a smile on her face and an undauntedly cheerful attitude she impacted many and made this world a better place.
Eleanore is survived by her sons Marty Jones of Ft Collins, Colorado and Jeff Jones of Huntley, Wyoming; a sister Mollie Siegfried of Scottsbluff; and a brother Richard Reifschneider. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Chuck; four brothers Carl, Alex, Henry and Albert; and two sisters Dolly Reis and Marie Levick.