Susan H. Jones

Susan Hart Jones, daughter of Lee and Margaret (nee Ruegamer) Hart, was born on October 18, 1938, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and passed away in Buffalo, New York, on March 15, 2026. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of fifty-seven years, Nicholas Loftin Jones, who died in September 2017. Susan is survived by her children Geoffrey and wife Lisa Jones, Michael Jones, Elizabeth Newton and husband Adam, Katherine Jones and wife Renee Tripp, her eleven grandchildren Collin, Brannon, Owen, William, Elias, Charles, Lilith, Kate and husband Jason, Kristopher and wife Jessica, and her great-grandchildren Declan, Kyleigh, and Kamden.

A graduate of Collinwood High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was a Girl Scout and cheerleader, Susan earned her Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University in 1960. There she met her future husband, majored in History, joined Phi Mu sorority, and was elected ROTC Military Ball Queen in 1958. She and Nick married on June 25, 1960, at Christ Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio. After living in Indianapolis throughout the 1960s, they moved with their young family to Rochester, New York, in 1970.

Susan devoted much of her life to public service as a grant writer for Children Awaiting Parents and the Girl Scouts of Western New York. Her volunteer work included leadership in the Cathedral Arts Society’s efforts to preserve the Indianapolis City Market, service at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, and long-time membership in the Junior League of both Indianapolis and Rochester. A faithful member of Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and later St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Rochester for nearly fifty years, she held various Vestry positions and led the church’s literacy program in Rochester Public Schools.

She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who rarely missed a child’s or grandchild’s hockey, soccer, or softball game, ballet performance, orchestra concert, or theater production. Susan and Nick enjoyed many cross-country road trips to visit family and hosted countless holiday gatherings. An accomplished hostess known for her grace, etiquette, and culinary talent, she was also an excellent seamstress who made clothes for her children. She found joy in gardening, horticulture, polite English television, Jane Austen, Downton Abbey, and A Room with a View. Her steady presence brought order and love to a lively household of four active children. In retirement, she cherished her Book Club and Chatter Box gatherings. Her life was a blessing to all who knew her, and her spirit will live on through her family.