Elizabeth Wuerth Jones

Scarborough - Elizabeth Mitchell Wuerth Jones, 93, died peacefully at her home in Scarborough, Maine on February 15th, 2022, surrounded by family and close friends. Elizabeth was born on May 16, 1928 in Montclair, NJ, to the late Gustav C. and Elsie (Mitchell) Wuerth. She attended Montclair Schools through the 10th grade, when she read an article in Vogue about the Putney School, a unique coed boarding school in Vermont, and fell in love with it. During 11th and 12th grades at Putney, she made lifelong friends and developed her deep love of both music and the outdoors, as well as a lifelong commitment to social justice and equity. She went on to attend Smith College, graduating in 1950 with a BA in History and a Minor in Music. In June, 1951, Elizabeth married Peter Taylor Jones (Dec 25, 1932 - Aug 29, 1989), beginning a life together of international travel and connections that continued well into her 80s. She loved being a mother, and was devoted to raising her 3 children, while moving often within the US and in South America for Peter's work. Eventually they settled in San Francisco, in 1976, where she spent much of the next 30 years. Born to musical parents (her father Gustav sang and played viola, and her mother Elsie played and taught piano), Elizabeth's musical life started early. She took piano lessons in childhood, and played throughout her life, up until just months before she died. In college she sang with the Smith Glee Club, and went on to sing in choral groups and church choirs wherever she lived. When she was 40, while living in Argentina, she bought a cello which she studied on and off over many years. And she was a supporter of the arts, attending symphony and choral performances well into her 80s. Elizabeth loved the outdoors. She grew up sailing in the summers on Martha's Vineyard, where her family had a home, and later in San Francisco Bay with her husband Peter and friends. She and Peter took their children on many camping and travel adventures, including to some not-for-the-faint-of-heart places as Tierra Del Fuego, Machu Pichu and other remote parts of the Andes Mountains, and Iquitos, Peru on the Amazon River. Her last adventure, at age 78, was traveling on an icebreaker to the Siberian side of the Artic, in 2006. Elizabeth was an educator, teaching preschool for several years after college, and involved in schools throughout much of her life. She served on the board of the Putney School and the SF University High School. She was especially devoted to international education, hosting exchange students and teachers from Slovenia, Germany, Brazil, Czechoslovakia and Thailand. She had a gift for connecting with, encouraging and supporting others, and was genuinely interested in what they were doing with their lives. She passed her love of other cultures, international connections with people, and travel on to her three children. Elizabeth also played an important supportive role in the early years of the Volti Chamber Choir in San Francisco, where she served on the board for 15 years, 7 of them as president, faithfully attending all their local concerts and developing a close friendship with director and conductor, Robert Geary. In 2003 Elizabeth began dividing her time between San Francisco and Scarborough, Maine, where her sister Kay and husband Bob Lynn were living at the Piper Shores Retirement Community. She eventually settled full-time at Piper Shores where she enjoyed regular visits and holidays with family and close friends, and daily outings with her beloved dog, Roxie. In her final years, she was cared for by several wonderful caregivers, one of whom became a close friend who took her on outings in the local area up until a few months before she died. Elizabeth is survived by her three children: Paul Jones, Kathy Jones Wright, and Sarah Jones; her sister, Katharine (Kay) Lynn; and her granddaughter, Jessica Wright. She will be remembered for her graciousness, authenticity, kindness and wry sense of humor. A celebration of Elizabeth's life will be held on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 1:00 pm at the State Street Church, 159 State St, Portland, ME. Her ashes will be buried alongside those of her husband, Peter, in a private ceremony on Chappaquiddick Island at a later date. Contributions in Elizabeth's memory may be made to the Putney School (specifying "to support two girl Afghan students," c/o Carlotta Cuerdon, The Putney School, 418 Houghton Brook Rd, Putney VT 05346), and/or to the Volti vocal ensemble (to "Volti," PO Box 15576, San Francisco, CA 94115.) The family wishes to express deep gratitude to the team at Anchor Care Services (Yarmouth, Maine) who provided excellent support and care for Elizabeth in her home for the last several years of her life.