Mary Jane Jones

Mary Jane Jones, age 77, passed away Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Mary Jane was born in Madison, WI, June 17, 1944, daughter of the late Ora (Nee: Campbell) and Judge David Owen Jones and was a resident of Chicago since 1966.

Mary Jane was a graduate of Mineral Point High School, class of 1962. Furthering her education, she pursued a Fine Arts Degree in Vocal Performance at UW-Milwaukee, a B.M. from American Conservatory of Music, Chicago, IL, double majoring in piano and voice, and a Masters of Music at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. She also received diplomas from the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria-German Lieder/Oper Kurs.

Mary Jane belonged to many national and community organizations including: Alpha Omicron Pi Social Sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota National Professional Fraternity for Women in Music, Member and Board member of the Women’s Association of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, 30-year member of the Docent Program of the Chicago Symphony, member of the Lecture Corps of the Lyric Opera of Chicago-Opera in the Classroom, member of the Racine Symphony Guild, Racine, WI, Minnieska Women’s Club, Whitewater, WI, The Madison Club, Madison, WI, Racine Zoological Society, Fires of Friendship, Camp Manito-wish, St. David’s Society of Racine, and the Milwaukee Welsh Club. Mary Jane was proud of her accomplishment developing the Music Resource Library for the Women’s Association of the Chicago Symphony. She was also a longtime member of the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago and Covenant Presbyterian Church of Racine.

On August 25, 1979 she was united in marriage to Joseph P. Smyth who preceded her in death, December 10, 2009. She and Joe opened Mary Jane’s, Alias Smyth & Jones Catering Companies in Chicago, a flourishing business that serviced Fortune 500 clients for two decades. For many years they enjoyed time spent between their homes in Chicago and Racine.

Mary Jane was also a real estate broker in Chicago who enjoyed working with her colleagues and clients at Coldwell Banker Stanmeyer and Coldwell Banker, Skyline Equities Realty, Zoretich Realty, Koenig and Strey, and most recently with Prudential Preferred Properties, now Prudential Rubloff.

Mary Jane had a passion to connect – both in person and on social media. Her thirst for knowledge was relentless and she engaged in intelligent and lively conversation with people from all walks of life. She will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by many for her unique personality, kind and generous spirit, and her boisterous operatic Happy Birthday rendition.

Survivors include sisters-in-laws, brothers-in-law, many nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and dear friends. In addition to her parents and husband she was preceded in death by her brother, David John Jones and niece, Megan Ayn Jones.

Private graveside services were held at Mound Cemetery, Racine, WI. A Memorial Service will be held and announced at a later date. Memorials to St. David’s Society of Racine, The Jones-Smyth Vocal Scholarship, or the Chicago Symphony-Music Resource Library have been suggested.