Joan "Jody" Jones

Joan “Jody” Jones, age 90, of Carroll, IA, passed away on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at St. Anthony Regional Hospital in Carroll.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, May 9, 2024 at the First United Methodist Church in Carroll with Rev. Terry Plocher officiating.  Music for the service will be by Ellen Severin and Jake Gute.  Casket bearers will be Mike Jones, Dan Jones, Ben Jones, Sam Jones, Zach Brewer, Todd Semla, and Mica Lesser.  Jody’s P.E.O. sisters will form an honor guard at the funeral service.  Burial will be in the Carroll City Cemetery.

Visitation will be held at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home from 5 – 7 P.M. on Wednesday.  The casket will be moved to the First United Methodist Church at 9:30 A.M. on Thursday where visitation will resume until 10:15 A.M. prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church in Carroll or to Carroll County Conservation Foundation.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com

Jody was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 5, 1933 to Marvin and Ivy Reifschneider. She was the eldest of three girls and her sisters, Marcia and Ellen,  have been her life long friends and allies. She attended North High School in Omaha before she enrolled in Benson High School and became a Benson Bunny.  She then attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, getting her bachelor’s degree in home economics. During her science classes there, she happened to meet Donald Jones, pharmacy student. Their acquaintance led to marriage on August 22, 1953.

While Don was finishing his pharmacy degree, Jody worked in a food science laboratory at the University. Their daughter Carolyn was born the day before Don’s pharmacy graduation.

With Don’s enlistment in the Army, Jody, Carolyn and a second daughter, Laurie, moved with him to his posting in New Mexico.  After a brief stint in Kimball, Nebraska, the family moved to Carroll, Iowa in 1958. It has been home ever since. The family grew with the additions of Susan, Philip and Elizabeth.

With five children born within six years, Jody enjoyed family and community life. She was fully engaged in the First United Methodist Church, Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts. She worked on creating art from oil paintings to block prints, sewing clothing and knitting cold weather gear. She never stopped learning during these years as she learned to swim and drive and ski -- all skills she had not acquired before. The Joneses did a lot of camping and traveled throughout the United States.

Jody taught knitting and sold fabric before serving customers at the Center Pharmacy with Don. As their children left for college, Don and Jody did more traveling together including trips to Scandinavia, Germany, Alaska and Ireland. Don retired after many years as a community pharmacist. He passed away in 2011. He was the great love of her life, but she continued to find joy and purpose in living. She continued her travel adventures with her daughter, Elizabeth, throughout Europe and to Alaska. They brought an engaging dachshund, Mollie, into their home and Jody loved her dearly. Sadly, Elizabeth died in 2018.    Jody continued her love of travel, various interests and community ties. She cruised to Alaska with two of her daughters and her sisters. Her work with Habitat for Humanity, as Church Treasurer, with the United Women in Faith group, P.E.O., the local genealogy group,  a devoted knitting circle, and a full panoply of church activities made her life rich and engaging,

Jody is survived by her children:  Carolyn of Chandler, AZ, Laurie Vasquez of Chandler, AZ, Susan (Todd) Semla of Evanston, IL, and Philip (Patricia) Jones of Eagan, MN. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren survive her: Allison Jones (Landon Woodroof) and Barnett and Wright Woodroof of Brentwood, TN, Nicole Vasquez (Mica Lesser) and Paxton and Boyd Spiegel of Phoenix, AZ, Marie Semla of Burbank, CA, Colleen Semla of New York City, and Peter Semla of Chicago, IL, Samuel (Brianna) Jones and  Oliver, Hattie and Cora Jones of Minneapolis, MN, Hannah Jones (Sasha Ross) of St. Paul, MN, Olivia Jones (Zach Brewer) of Hopkins, MN, and Benjamin Jones of Plymouth, MN.

Jody was preceded in death by her parents Marvin and Ivy Reifschneider, her parents-in-law, Boyd and Helen Jones, her husband of 58 years, Don Jones, and her daughter, Elizabeth Jones, in 2018.