Virginia Claire Jones

Oct 25, 1927 - May 2, 2012 Virginia died peacefully in the presence of family in her room at the Salem Lutheran Home in Oakland. Born in Detroit to Henry Leighton Bangs and Mildred Wright Bangs and raised on Detroit's east side, Virginia attended local elementary schools and graduated from Cass Technical High School. She began her college career in 1945 at Michigan State Normal College, now known as Eastern Michigan University, but, like so many other woman of her era, left college to marry and raise a family. She married her beloved ¿Jimmy¿, recently home from WWII, in November 1946 at St. Columba Episcopal Church, also on Detroit's east side. Following her husband's career, Virginia moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1959, after brief stops in Hanover, New Hampshire and South Bend, Indiana. An ardent and active volunteer, her life was centered round her children's schools and her churches, most notably the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in San Francisco and Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Castro Valley. She finally completed her Bachelor's degree at the California State University - Hayward, in 1976 and went on for a Master's Degree in Public Administration, which she received in 1982. Virginia never pursued a career in Public Administration, instead living the remainder of her life volunteering with Holy Cross, pursuing her hobbies of painting, crafts, opera and history and enjoying her friends and her family, especially her grandchildren. Despite her health issues and confinement to a wheelchair for many years she never lost her enthusiasm for life. Virginia is survived by her former husband, the Reverend James B. Jones, her children Cathy Thompson of Berkeley, Doug (Inday) of Las Vegas, Tom (Helen) of San Anselmo, Steve (Anne) of Walnut Creek, and Pham Thanh of Berkeley, her favorite niece Ann Zanoni, ten grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. No public services will be held. The family invites all to give to their favorite charities in memory of Virginia.