PAULINE ELLIOT JONES's Obituary
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Pauline E. Jones at home from natural causes after a long illness. She was the Mother of Christopher and Anthony Woodhouse, Stepmother of Mary, John, James, Steven, and David, and was married, and since divorced from, Dr. Charles Woodhouse and Rev. James G. Jones. She leaves behind her children and grandchildren.
She was born in 1928 in London the youngest of two girls of Captain Richard E. Beevor, of the British Army, who was stationed in Nigeria, and Dorothy Ann Weyman of London who was a stage actress. She had an idyllic childhood, enjoying wonderful vacations whenever her father was home on leave. She trained competitively in figure skating and attended Summerhill, an elite and progressive private boarding school.
Sadly, her parents died young and she and her sister we taken in by her uncle Bill. Then came the war with the London Blitz. Her older sister Valerie was an air raid warden while Polly sheltered in place.
The war ended in 1945. England was a wreck, and Polly knew an American Airman named Benny. Now being of age, she set off for America with a one-way ticket. Benny was a no-show and she was stranded in New York City. Seeking help at the British Embassy, she did not get a ticket back home, but got a job as a messenger running up and down the Rockefeller Center, and figure skating in the ice rink at night.
A scout saw her and recruited her for an ice show in a fancy hotel. So started a 7 year career as a figure skater in an ice show in NYC and Chicago.
She caught the eye of Dr. Charles Woodhouse, father of Christopher and Anthony, and they were soon wed. Then began domestic life in Hyde Park in Chicago. Unfortunately, her marriage only lasted 6 years, and she supported herself for 2 years as a commercial artist of significant talent.
Father James Jones met Polly and they wed. Since Episcopal priests could not remarry in the diocese of Chicago at that time, the family headed to southwest virginia where Father Jim worked in Total Action Against Poverty and Polly was a nursery school teacher. These were 4 nice years, but the government shut down the program and the family moved to Florida where Father Jones headed up Spectrum House drug rehab program. Polly taught nursery school while studying for a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology. She then joined Jim at Concept House as a licensed marriage and family therapist. The couple transitioned to Concept House.
Father Jim moved on and Polly became the executive director of Concept House for a time until her retirement.
She continued an active private practice in marriage and family therapy which was her passion. She continued this into her eighties whereupon age and infirmity started catching up to her.
During this last phase of her life she made a tremendous impact on people around her. So many individuals have credited Polly with helping them get married and stay married, and the love has reflected back on Polly many fold.
Tragedy entered her life in the year 2000 when her son Anthony was grievously injured in a motor vehicle accident. He passed away earlier this year, which may have something to do with her abrupt decline this year. At the end, she was on at-home hospice care, and had a constant stream of friends and visitors to see her off. The vigil ended with Father Frank Corbishly and friends in attendance.
We will remember her as an elegant lady full of vim and vigor. She maintained a British aloofness while extending a warm embrace to all who needed it. She was loved by her children, even as they traveled the world on their adventures. Her English cousins came to visit and the family frequented England. We will miss he tremendously, but she is in a better place, and reunited with her beloved Anthony. It is for us to mourn her loss, but also celebrate her beautiful life.
Polly chose cremation. Funeral service will be held at the Chapel of the Venerable Bede on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables on Saturday January 25. Her ashes will be scattered at sea in the summer.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Chapel would be accepted to support the mission both at the campus and in Nicaragua.
What’s your fondest memory of PAULINE?
What’s a lesson you learned from PAULINE?
Share a story where PAULINE's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with PAULINE you’ll never forget.
How did PAULINE make you smile?
