Irene E. Jones

*Memorial donation information appears below obituary.

Irene Ester Finlayson (Miller) Jones, 95, of Los Angeles, passed away peacefully at her home. Irene was born in Edinburgh, Scotland to Harry George and Helen Finlayson (Glen) Miller. She had one sibling, her older brother John Leonard, and two cousins, Edna (daughter of Arthur Miller) and Ronald “Ronnie” (son of William “Bill” Miller), who were also her best friends.

As a child during WW II, Irene found comfort from the fear of bombings and loneliness of evacuation in the encouraging messages from then Princess Elizabeth, who was just three years older. Irene remained a lifelong admirer of Queen Elizabeth II. Before the war ended, when Irene was just 14 years old, her father died of tuberculosis. Her mother was a strong woman who worked as a domestic to support herself and her two teen children as a widow.

After high school, Irene trained as a histology technician (a medical lab professional who prepares tissue samples for microscopic examination). In 1952 she emigrated with her mother to Toronto, Ontario Canada to join her brother and his family. She secured employment in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto where she met another medical research technician, Kenneth Roy Jones. Irene and Roy dated and fell in love. They eventually moved to California, again following her brother “Leon”, his wife Gladys and their now three children, Linda, Scott and Carol. They were married on July 15, 1961 in San Diego, and settled in Los Angeles where they had both received offers of employment from the UCLA Center for Health Sciences.

Irene worked for the Department of Ophthalmology at UCLA until the summer of 1963 when she resigned in her third trimester of pregnancy. Her daughter and only child, Janice Lynne, was born that September. Irene remained a full-time mother for the first two years of Janice’s life, and then returned, first to part-time and later to full-time, employment at UCLA working primarily in the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology until her retirement in 1991.

Irene loved her family and spending time with Roy, including traveling. She was involved in Janice's activities when she was young, and enjoyed baking and gardening. Irene spent months baking in preparation for Christmas every year. After Roy died in 1997, Irene kept busy working in her garden. She also took up quilting and attended local exercise classes where she made new friends. Irene was a wonderful grandparent to granddaughters Sabrina and Kendra. She was very active in their lives and attended their school functions, performances, and other special events. Irene remained active and independent until age 93. 

A sudden illness robbed Irene of her independence, but she was able to remain at home with the help of great caregivers. Irene was surrounded by wonderful neighbors in the house she had lived in for 56 years. She looked forward to visits from, and outings with, family, friends, and grand-dog, Brody. Irene continued to celebrate holidays and special occasions with her close-knit extended family in San Diego until just weeks before her death.

Irene was predeceased by her parents, brother and sister-in-law, and husband, Kenneth Roy. She is survived by her daughter Janice Lynne O’Neal (Samuel); granddaughters Sabrina Renee (Cody) and Kendra Samantha; nieces Linda and Carol (Tom); nephew Scott (Mary Ellin); as well as seven loving grand, and eight great, nieces and nephews.

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*In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to one (or both) of two funds at UCLA Health Sciences:

https://giving.ucla.edu/irenejones

The first fund supports the Iris Cantor-UCLA Women’s Health Center. This is where Irene received outstanding primary medical care for many years. The Center also engages in rigorous research and public education to “improve the health of diverse women across the life span”.

The second fund supports the Jules Stein Eye Institute. In addition to Ophthalmology being the first department Irene worked in at UCLA, she also received excellent care at the Stein Eye Institute including cataract surgeries and ongoing care for glaucoma. The Institute’s mission is to prevent blindness through patient care, research, education, and outreach.

Please use the link provided above to donate in Irene's memory. Simply select the fund you wish to support from the drop-down menu.

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Those attending the service are also invited to join us for a reception immediately following the chapel service and interment of ashes, at approximately 4:00pm. 

Reception details and address will be provided at the service.