Obituary of Beatrice Luna Jones

Beatrice L. Jones passed away surrounded by her loving family on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, at the age of 84 years after a brief battle with pneumonia.  Beatrice and her husband, Samuel (Sam) L. Jones, had been married for 61 years and had spent a wonderful life together, raising three children and enjoying many family milestones and precious times during those years.

Beatrice was born in El Paso, Texas at Providence Hospital on December 26, 1940, to Esperanza (Hope) and Antonio (Tony) Luna.  She graduated from Jefferson High School in El Paso in 1959, participating in modern dance, the same passion that she instilled in her daughter, Denise.  It was at Jefferson High School where she met and fell in love with her future husband, Sam.  On November 30, 1963, she and Sam were married at St. Xavier Catholic Church in El Paso, rarely leaving each other’s sides from then on.

Beginning their lives together, Beatrice was a stay-at-home mom to her three children, ensuring they grew up always putting their best foot forward at school and at their non-school activities.  Her children were her passion and she put all her energies into them, always wanting something better for them than the blessings that she had received during her lifetime.  Her quiet and careful guidance was always there, shaping and influencing them even when it wasn’t apparent, teaching them how to treat everyone they met with kindness, love, and respect, earning the same in return.   With time, as her children married and blessed her with 9 grandchildren, her love and attention naturally turned to the next generation of the extended Jones family, completing another segment in her circle of life.  One of her ‘love languages’ was making sure that everyone who stepped into her house was well-fed.  A family-favorite, that was also one of the most-well-requested whenever a family potluck dinner gathering was held, was her famous refried beans.  Those refried beans remain unmatched to this very day.  That love of good food extended into outings to favorite Mexican food restaurants, especially those that excelled in serving authentic borderland Mexican food specific to the Southwest Texas region.  Throughout those decades, anyone that met her can say that her kindness, grace, and selfless approach to everyone, really stood out as her most endearing qualities, often defining the lasting impression that many people took away after initially meeting her or knowing her.

Beatrice eventually returned to working outside of home in the late 1980’s, and always spoke fondly of her work as one of the Administrative Assistants in the Special Collections Department at the University of Texas at El Paso Library.  She worked despite being diagnosed as legally blind in the 1980’s.  She was a real example of a person with a disability who was accommodated and allowed to respectfully contribute as a member of UTEP’s workforce.  She would assist researchers requesting rare documents or books that gave a glimpse into the history of El Paso or the Southwest United States.  It was both exciting and fulfilling knowing that she played a small part in the historical portrayal of her hometown, its people, and its surrounding areas.  Soon after retirement, she and Sam decided it was important to live closer to their children and grandchildren, so they moved to Pearland, Texas, a suburb of Houston, spending the rest of their years together there.

Beatrice is survived by her husband Sam, her sons Richard (Jenny) Jones and Anthony (Karla) Jones, and daughter Denise (Daniel) McGettrick and grandchildren Kelly (Chris) Edmonds, Jessica (Cody) Rohlfs, Derek Jones, Sam Jones, Adam Jones, Mark Jones, Patrick McGettrick, Beatrice McGettrick, and Dominic McGettrick.  She is also survived by her sister Yolanda (Bud) Waggoner and brother Armando (Shelley) Madrid.  She was preceded in death by her mother and father, who passed away respectively, in 2005 and 2012.  Beatrice’s family wants to thank Dr. Doshi, Dr. Bailey, Dr. Hebenstreit, Ivo, Mon, Mary, Susan from the food service, and the other doctors, nurses, and staff members at Memorial Hermann – Pearland Hospital who were exceptional as they assisted Beatrice during her days spent at the hospital under their care.  Beatrice was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and sister and she will be greatly missed.