February 13, 1930 - February 5, 2025 Brea, CA Marilyn Lee Jones(Schneider), better known as Merf, passed away on February 5, 2025. She was born on February 13, 1930, to Emmett and Gladys Schneider in Bellingham, Washington. The youngest of 4 girls, May, Doris and Helene.
In 1945, her family moved to San Gabriel, California.
She attended Mark Keppal High School where she met her husband, Jack Jones. After graduating from high school in 1947, she attended John Muir City College and then Cal State Los Angeles where she earned a bachelor's degree. She and Jack were married in 1950.
The majority of her career was spent teaching kindergarten.
She often used cooking in her classroom as a way to teach concepts. The students even created cookbooks of recipes they enjoyed. The recipes were dictated to her based on how the students thought they should cook a dish. The recipes were probably not edible but very humorous to read. Merf continued her education by earning a Master’s degree in education from the University of Redlands. Later in her career she and Jack bought a paper goods store called Bear Paper Company in Ontario, California. They expanded the business – doubling the retail portion and developing a wholesale division with hundreds of customers. Simultaneously, they developed and operated a lemon ranch called the Charmer Ranch in Borrego Springs, California. Leisure time was spent camping and clamming in Mexico, sailing trips on their boat, traveling the world, journeys in their RV, knitting, playing bridge, and a lot of golf.
She is survived by her three children: Scott Jones and his deceased wife Joan, Brent Jones and his wife Lynette, and Holly Slyker and her deceased husband Joseph; her seven grandchildren: Ian Jones and fiance Bree Ford, Kyle Jones, Lauren Wedow and her husband Wade, Steven Slyker and his wife Chelsea, Shannon Slyker, Jennifer Jones, and Riley Jones; and the newest addition to the family, her great granddaughter, Josephine Wedow.
No memorial services are planned at this time. Donations in her honor may be made to knotsoflove.org or happilyeverafterleague.org