[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 95 (Wednesday, June 18, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1013-E1014]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING BLANCHE IONE JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 18, 2014

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
remarkable life of Mrs. Blanche Ione Jones, a loving and compassionate 
parent, sister, aunt and friend to many throughout the country, and 
particularly in Jackson and Detroit, Michigan. I am joined in this 
tribute by Representative John Conyers of Michigan. Mrs. Jones was a 
strong, kind and gentle woman who cared for others and deeply loved her 
family and community. With her passing on June 11, 2014, we look to her 
contributions to others, both big and small and remember her with great 
joy.
  Blanche Jones graduated from Jackson High School in Jackson, Michigan 
in 1949. She continued her education at Jackson Junior College and 
received the Associate of Arts Degree from Mercy College in Detroit, 
Michigan. Following graduation she became a dental hygienist for her 
cousin, Dr. Archie Millben, Sr., then the first and only African 
American dentist in Jackson, Michigan.
  In 1958 she met and married Mr. George W. Jones, Jr. and moved to 
Detroit. Blanche Jones demonstrated on a daily basis, her compassion 
and devotion to her late husband of 34 years and their children. She 
admired and was especially proud that her cousin, Dr.

[[Page E1014]]

Ethelene Jones-Crockett, Michigan's first female African-American 
obstetrician and gynecologist--who was also the wife of former 
Congressman George W. Crockett, Jr.--delivered her youngest three 
children.
  Mrs. Jones devoted her career at Detroit Public Schools as a para-
professional teaching assistant to ensuring that all children have the 
opportunity to receive a quality education. She was raised in the 
Church of Christ and remained an active member throughout her life 
teaching Bible class and serving on numerous committees.
  Mrs. Blanche Jones was a close confidant to my mother, Mildred Massey 
and me. Regardless of her health condition, she was always positive and 
upbeat. There was no question about her love and she generously shared 
it with everyone.
  Blanche Jones was a ``woman of distinction and grace''. She loved 
clothes and I will always remember wearing a white wool coat and hat 
that she loved. I shopped all over the country looking for one to give 
her and regrettably could not find one. I did give her a white wool 
jacket--and my hat. The twinkle in her eyes and her words of gratitude 
were reminders of her thankfulness for the small things in life.
  Blanche was a brilliant woman. She read, kept up on current events 
and politics and had her own very strong opinions about issues which we 
discussed many times. Her family describes her as the Chairwoman on 
BNN: the Blanche News Network.
  There is a tremendous void in my life now and I will miss her deeply. 
She touched the lives of many and leaves a legacy with her work and 
compassion that will long endure. In her memory, let us live our lives 
as Mrs. Blanche Jones did and would want us to do--as loving and 
supportive human beings.
  Today, California's 13th Congressional District joins Michigan's 13th 
Congressional District to salute and honor a remarkable woman, Mrs. 
Blanche Ione Jones. We will miss her tremendously and know that her 
legacy and spirit will live on forever.

                          ____________________