Obituary of Norma Jones

Norma Jones, 82, of West Orange, N.J., formerly of Columbus, Ohio, died on June 16, 2016, at home. Visitation will be held at Preston Funeral Home, 153 South Orange Ave. on Thursday, June 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. A graveside service will be held on Friday, June 24, at 10 a.m. at Rosedale Cemetery, 408 Orange Rd., Montclair, N.J. For more information or to send condolences, please visit prestonfuneralhome.net. Born in Neelyville, Mo., Norma lived in Columbus, Ohio, before moving to West Orange 50 years ago. She graduated from Lincoln University in Missouri with a B.A. degree in 1954. Norma graduated from the School of Law in Newark, Rutgers University, with a JD degree in 1979. She was an assistant deputy public defender from 1988 until retiring in 2001 with the State of New Jersey Office of the Public Defender. Norma was a member of St. Marks United Methodist Church in Montclair, N.J. She was an elected member of the Board of Education, Columbus, Ohio, from 1963 to 1966. Norma was a former editoral writer at the Call-Post, Columbus, Ohio, a former member of the board of directors of the League of Women Voters, New Jersey, and a founding trustee of Ramapo College, New Jersey. She was the beloved wife of Chester H. Jones; devoted mother of Leslie Johnson, Elizabeth and Madeline Jones, and the late Stephen Jones; dear sister of Edward Wall and Mary Harris; loving grandmother of Courtney, Adjani and Ashton, and dear great-grandmother of Mackenzie.