Mary L. Jones, age 93 of Mitchell, died Sunday, August 7, 2011 at the Firesteel Healthcare Center. Funeral services will be 10:00 AM Friday, August 12 at the Will Funeral Chapel with burial at Graceland Cemetery. Visitation will begin one hour prior to the service at 9:00 AM at Will Funeral Chapel. Mary was born on January 22, 1918 in Mitchell, S.D. to Arthur and Mary Kirkpatrick. She graduated from Mitchell High School in 1937 and from Notre Dame Junior College in 1943. Later, she transferred to Dakota Wesleyan University and graduated in August of 1968 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She married Thomas Harold Jones on April 9, 1944 in Mitchell after meeting him during her tenure as a teacher at the White Lake school district. They had one son, Thomas J.A. Jones who currently resides with his wife Terri, son Thomas, and daughter Mikayla in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mary taught elementary school for over thirty years in a number of different communities including White Lake, Canova, Mt. Vernon, and Mitchell. She spent her last seventeen years teaching in Mitchell at Longfellow elementary where she taught 4th grade until her retirement in 1980. After her retirement, she loved going out for coffee with her fellow retired teachers. She was also a lifelong member of the 1st United Methodist Church. Mary was a devoted wife, mother, and educator. For the last ten years she has been a resident of Firesteel Healthcare Center. She was much loved by all who knew her. Preceding her in death were her parents, husband, her brother John, and her sisters Elizabeth Steptoe and Dorothy Wolff.