"That was my life": Jones at 100

Feb. 18—The next time you go shopping for your favorite centenarian, skip the blankets and the clothes.

Take it from Kathryn Jones of Meadville, who — as long as we're on the subject — also prefers artificial flowers to the real thing.

"They've been sending me flowers and sending me the blankets and so many clothes," Jones said earlier this week. "Who needs all that?"

Flowers are pretty and thoughtful, of course, but they also require daily watering and only last a couple of weeks. Such considerations become more pressing at Jones' age, she said. And at her age, she doesn't really need too many options when it comes to clothes and she has had plenty of time to acquire a wardrobe she's happy with.

"If I don't have enough clothes now, I don't need to start buying any," she said in the deadpan delivery that consistently drew laughs from her listeners during an interview earlier this week. "It's good stuff, but who needs it when you get this old?"

Jones turns 100 today and her friends and family will mark the occasion with a party at Active Aging Inc. She spoke to the Tribune during Black History Month to reflect on the past century, her role in it and what life was like for a Black woman in Meadville during that time. Having grown up in West Middlesex, Mercer County, as the third of 16 children, she came to the city in 1941, just after her graduation from Farrell High School. Within a year she had been hired as one of the first Black women to work at Talon Inc. as the U.S. entered World War II and production increased.

She spent the next 45 years working at the zipper manufacturer before retiring.

That's a lot of zippers.

"Yes, it is," Jones said.

The zippers included those that were used in NASA space suits, Kathryn recalled.

Most days, she would walk to work from the State Street home she still occupies with her daughter, Rebecca Jones. Today, she does most of her walking inside the home — 200 side steps each day, back and forth from near where the front door looks out on Greendale Cemetery to the rear of the house. She only began using a cane for assistance about two years ago.

"She does good for her age," said Rebecca, 73. The women were seated inside their living room, with Momo, Rebecca's Yorkie, nearby and a cat that Kathryn inherited from her sister hiding elsewhere in the house. Boxes of old photos, part of their preparations for today's party, were in the corner.

Kathryn said she tends to forget names and faces and sometimes has to search for words, but she has few complaints about her physical health. She stays active and engaged, follows the news even though "it's terrible," has kept up with her COVID-19 boosters and still votes regularly via mail.

Looking back at her life, she had few criticisms in general. She recalled being denied service at a restaurant because she was Black early during her time in Meadville and segregated seating in the movie theaters that relegated Blacks to the upper balconies.

When it came to entertainment and social activities, there were few options until she and other Black women formed the Town Club — Jones is the oldest surviving founding member. But in most respects, she liked Meadville. Sam Jones, her husband, worked as a Crawford County Sheriff's deputy and a state police officer, and the couple adopted son Phil and Rebecca. Sam died in 1983.

"All I did mostly was go to church and go to work," Kathryn said. "That was my life — it's still my life. I don't go to work, but I go to church."

What criticisms she did have were reserved for old age.

"You don't want to be 100 years old, I'll tell you," she said.

The main problem is that so few people make it there. She has outlived her friends, Kathryn said, and many of her siblings.

But religion continues to play a prominent role in her life, mainly through television programs these days — she's a huge fan of televangelist Jimmy Swaggart.

From the time she arrived in Meadville until just a few years ago, she attended Bethel AME Church, and recalled her time with the church and her friendships with other women in the church as among the highlights of her long life. More recently, she attended St. John Meadville Church, though Rebecca said that the pandemic halted her in-person attendance. In fact, Rebecca said, today's party will be Kathryn's first big outing since early 2020.

The somewhat homebound lifestyle of the past few years came in sharp contrast to the jet-setting activities that kept Kathryn busy following her retirement. With a brother-in-law's Army career taking him to various international locations, Kathryn began traveling to visit family and didn't stop for decades: She made it to Greece, Turkey, France, Germany, Panama, the Caribbean, plus nine cruises in various places.

"When she retired, there was no keeping her," Rebecca said.

When Kathryn was 81, she went to China, where she saw the Great Wall and other sights.

"It was nice," she said matter-of-factly.

She visited Alaska on her last trip.

Today, she heads to her 100th birthday party, where she requested a reading of the Sinner's Prayer, the prayer of repentance found in a variety of forms and popular with Christian evangelists.

"I'm trying to get everyone to go to heaven," she said, "because that's where I'm trying to go."

And if friends want to get someone her age anything besides clothes and blankets, she recommended taking a practical approach when considering what to give. "Anybody that's old, all they need is food and medicine," she said.

Guests at her party will be able to enjoy plenty of food, and Kathryn gave a small smile when asked if she was looking forward to the event.

"Yeah," she said in the deadpan delivery that drew laughs from her daughter. "I'll be glad when it's over. I don't know how this thing is going to work out."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.