Helen Cathryn Jones

Helen Cathryn Jones, 89, of Maynard, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 17, 2024. 

Helen was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 15, 1935, daughter of the late Drs. Oliver Perry Jr. and Cathryn Margaret (Knights) Jones. She was raised and educated in Buffalo, New York, graduating from Buffalo Seminary, Class of 1953. Talented in both art and science, Helen decided she didn't want to be a “starving artist” (after visiting Greenwich village in NYC) and earned a BA Chemistry at University of Buffalo (Class of 1957). Helen met her husband Brad at the Channing Club at a young adult discussion group at the UU Church of Buffalo. 

Although med school was an option for her, she chose a more traditional path. Helen and Brad were married in 1957 in Niagara Falls, NY. Brad’s job at Dupont took them from Niagara Falls to Newark, Delaware. 

In Delaware, Helen thoroughly enjoyed her role as mother to three young children and was very active in their local UU congregation. Brad’s position at Dupont took them next to Nashville, TN. 

With an active mind and desire for more independence, Helen went back to work part-time as a chemist at Vanderbilt Hospital. After Helen and Brad parted, Helen accepted a fellowship at the University of Minnesota for a Master of Arts in Biomedical Librarianship. She packed the kids and an unruly dog into the VW Squareback and headed to St. Paul, MN. She was active in the early ecology movement and the formation of the University of Minnesota Environmental Library (ELM).

After graduation, Helen moved back to Buffalo and started work in the Lakes Area Regional Medical Program. She saw the need for information sharing between the offices. As she was continually seeking to learn and advance her skills, she took a job at Carborundum in 1974 and worked to develop a small library into a more collaborative research center. 

Helen was deeply moved by the writings of transcendentalists (Thoreau), so when an opening came up with Kennecott Copper Company in Massachusetts, she jumped at the opportunity. 

Helen was a forward thinker and continuously looked for ways to use her research and strategic planning skills to advance her career. She saw the need for increased access to research databases - but more importantly, she had an ability to analyze and evaluate information pulled from these sources. She was online in the early days of the personal computer. She started her own consultancy, Informart of New England, to provide research and analysis. 

After a period of lean years of self-employment, Helen accepted a position as Librarian at Umass Lowell. She took the Lowell position partly because of the education benefit - she was able to complete her MBA, graduating in 1990. As Research Librarian, she was proud of her work teaching students how to use the various online databases (pre-Google days). She co-authored several papers, providing research analysis on a variety of topics. Helen was granted tenure and retired years later in 2010.

Helen had many interests and talents, but family was most important to her. She adored her grandchildren and spent a lot of time with them. She shared her love of art and painting with them. Grammy was game for many adventures - from skiing, to camping, boat trips, hikes. If we had a problem, we knew she would drop everything to be there for us.

Helen pursued her passion for genealogical research while working at UMass Lowell (with unlimited access to a printer!). She loved all that New England had to offer - she cherished her summer visits to Star Island off the coast of NH, beachcombing on Cape Cod with sister Ann and adventures into ski country. She tried Nastar skiing for a while but found more joy in teaching skiing to special needs children at Wachusett Mountain. 

In recent years, Helen loved her “Friday afternoon prayer group” (e.g. bridge game). She loved watching birds and supported local nature groups including The Organization of Assabet River and Massachusetts Audubon society. Helen was an active member of First Parish Church of Stow & Acton for many years. She held various board positions and volunteered often (apple peeling for pies was a favorite activity). Helen had a fondness for black cats since she felt they were often left unadopted. Helen is sorely missed by her black cat “Spirit” (who quickly learned her job as cuddly lap warmer).

Helen is survived by her daughters, Rachel Elizabeth Peckar and husband Michael Peckar of West Boylston and Abigail Cathryn Brown and husband Steven English of Clarksville, MD; her son, Oliver Fiske Brown and wife Yonhwa Brown of Round Rock, TX; her brother, Dr. Oliver Perry Jones III; her sisters, Carolyn Jones Gurney and Ann Jones Davidson; her grandchildren Charlie, Jacob, Olly, Jake, Brendan Alex, Aidan, Daniel, Kimmy, and William.

A Celebration of Life is planned at First Parish Church of Stow and Acton in the Spring, so that more family can attend. We plan to also have the service available on Zoom. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to First Parish Church Memorial Garden or your favorite nature charity.