Mary Katherine Flynn Jones
Mary Katherine Flynn Jones
Mary Katherine Flynn Jones, March 10, 1922, to Jan. 27, 2026. Mary, age 103, died peacefully on Jan. 27, 2026, at Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College.
Mary was one of four children of Vincent P. Flynn and Monica Morgan Flynn. She was the last in life of her siblings, having been preceded in death by Margaret Ann Flynn Wetzler, Jean Flynn Stover and John M. Flynn.
On Sept. 14, 1942, Mary married Alfred Jones, who preceded her in death on Aug. 30, 2006. They had four children, Alfred Jones, Jr., of State College, David F. Jones, of Port Charlotte, Fla., Susan Christy, of Bellefonte, and Kathleen Jones, who preceded her in death on Dec. 10, 2010.
Mary instructed that this obituary be short, “No one needs to read a lot of stuff about me.” We asked, “May we say that you were a saint?” “Well…yes.”
So, Saint Mary. A remarkable woman who led a remarkable life. A child of the Great Depression, who became very frugal as the result. Right after graduating from Bellefonte High School as class Vice President, she was a telephone switchboard operator when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. She met her husband to be on a blind date at a Penn State fraternity party, and they married as he entered the army for World War II. Al Jr. was born when Al was in North Africa.
After the war, they moved to the Pittsburgh area where she raised four children across the street from a steel mill. Some of her happiest years were spent in Ocean City, N.J., just a few steps from the beach after Al retired from U.S. Steel.
In 1985 they moved to Bellefonte to spend their remaining years with most of her children, who by that time were all living in Centre County. Mary has three grandchildren, Charles Vincent Jones, Jennifer E. Lengyel and Robert T. Christy; and two great-grandchildren, Savannah Jones and Tristan Jones.
We are all so fortunate and grateful to have had beautiful Mary in our lives for so long, shared her stories and memories with her, delivered with a very sharp sense of humor.
We are likewise grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff of Mount Nittany Medical Center for the expert and compassionate care they provided.
The funeral for Mary Katherine Flynn will be held on Feb. 7, 2026, at 11 a.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 120 W. Lamb Street, Bellefonte. A celebration of her life will take place on March 21, 2026, at Titan Hollow, 2042 Axemann Road, Bellefonte, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc. in Bellefonte.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Episcopal Church, 120 W. Lamb Street, Bellefonte, PA 16823.
Online condolences may be made to the family online at www.wetzlerfuneralhome.com.