Evelyn Mae Cross Jones passed away on Saturday, August 24, 2019 at her home in Fort Morgan,

Colorado. She was 89 years old. She was born November 18, 1929 at home in Ault, Washington County, Colorado to Edward Willis Cross and Margaret Adaline Wasson. She was their youngest child. Her mother and four older brothers all had smallpox when Evelyn was born. Her mother-in-law, Margaret Palmer Cross was a noted midwife and nurse and everyone recovered. Evelyn never got the smallpox and had natural immunity.

She grew up on a farm. She rode behind a brother on a horse during her early school years. She loved the outdoors but her mother insisted she must wear a hat. Evelyn hated to wear hats and purposely lost them! Her brothers liked to take her hunting and she became an excellent shot with a 22 rif1e. But her favorite way to kill a rattlesnake was with a hoe!

Evelyn went to Akron High School and boarded in Akron but was issued a driver's license as a freshman so she could drive home to her family on weekends. Then she was able to transfer to High Prairie High School. She enjoyed being in school plays, on softball teams, and basketball teams. She was even on the boys' basketball team. She graduated in 1941 and was offered a college basketball scholarship but she turned it down. Instead she taught at a nearby counfiy school as an emergency World War II teacher.

On February 24, 1948 she married Richard J. Jones, a World War II Army veteran, at Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado where his sister Eva lived. The young couple lived on a farm and ranch in the Rago and Elba community southwest of Akron for over 70 years. Two children, Phillip Richard and Julie Mae were born to them. When the children went to college at Greeley, she went with them and got her cosmetology license. She had her own beauty shop just north of the Akron theater. She broke her hip and then retired.

She loved being a grandmother and often took care of her grandchildren. After she broke her hip, she always limped. While shopping at Fort Morgan she looked behind her and laughed when she saw her two young granddaughters, Lori and Shari, limping behind her. They thought anything Grandma did was great and wanted to be just like her! Scott, her grandson, was a toddler when she came to take care of him while the rest of his family went on a vacation. She got a cold and Scott brought her a pill and told her it would cure her. She was amused and thought he might grow up to be a doctor!

She liked to go to community barn dances and she even won some dance competitions. She was a great gardener, liked to make many of her own clothes, loved crocheting afghans, enjoyed reading westerns, and had beautiful handwriting. She helped train the family racehorses and was the best groomer of the family.

She was preceded in death by her parents; infant sister Nellie Elizabeth; brothers Melvin, Kenneth, Harold, and Raymond; and her son Phillip Richard Jones. She is survived by her husband Richard Jones, daughter Julie Jones Johnson, son-in-law Donald Johnson, her three grandchildren Lori Johnson Hardman, Shari Johnson Hofhiens, and Scott Johnson. She will be missed by her family, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A graveside funeral was held at the Cope Cemetery, Cope, Colorado on Saturday, August 31, 2019.