Teresa D. Jones

TERESA D. JONES Long time Dayton attorney, Teresa Del Fatti Jones, passed away May 29, 2014, nearly 6 years after being diagnosed with a virulent form of cancer known as leiomyosarcoma. Born August 5, 1948, in Scotia, California, her parents Harvey ("Del") and Mary instilled in her the traits of objectivity, strength, courage, and dignity and an iron will that were the hallmarks of her life and career. Her self reliance was built on many long summer days exploring the Redwoods and the Eel River Valley around the family home in Shively; riding her horse, Scout; and being watched over by her huge St Bernard, Major. Teresa's father was one of the most decorated pilots in the Air Force, a veteran of the WWII Pacific Theater and Korea, and she was an Air Force "brat" -- calling Eureka and Shively, California; Knob Noster, Missouri; and Colby, Wisconsin, home. Del was stationed at Whiteman AFB long enough for Teresa to spend four years and graduate from Windsor High School. She was a brilliant student and athlete, combining cheerleading, the school paper and a passion for civil rights -- along with a little larceny. (She told her parents she was going to cheerleading camp, and instead hopped a Freedom Bus to help with southern voter registration.) Graduating from high school in 1966, she left immediately for summer school at the University of Missouri. Teresa worked full time at the student housing office and paid all her own tuition, graduating in 1969. For extra-curricular fun, she made three parachute jumps! Following graduation, Teresa pursued a Masters Degree in Social Work at the University of California, Berkeley, then moved to Ogden, Utah, to work as a grant writer with the Community Action Program. She would later establish and lead the Ogden Head Start Program. After a short stint with the Phoenix, Arizona, Head Start program, Teresa returned to Ogden where she worked briefly as a salesman for a Chevy dealer. Her poker expertise during the weekly staff games and rare ability to sell used pickups to Mormon farmers, ensured regular weekend ski trips to the nearby Wasatch mountains. In 1981, Teresa married Allan Jones, and they relocated to Pittsburgh, PA, where she rehabbed a log cabin and sold educational text books. After a few years, however, she wanted a bigger challenge and moved to Dayton in 1985 to start law school -- and to take flying lessons. She became an accomplished pilot under the tutelage of the famous, Jay Hardin, soloing in both the Piper Tomahawk and her Aerostar -- and always looking for that perfect emergency landing area. Teresa graduated cum laude from the University of Dayton College of Law in 1988 and immediately got her dream job as an associate with the law firm of Smith & Schnacke (now Thompson Hine). She spent twenty-five years with Thompson Hine, retiring in 2013 as a partner and the head of the Labor and Employment group in the firm's Dayton office. During that time, Teresa was named to the "Best Lawyers in America" list for five years in a row. She also gave generously of her time, serving on the boards of Eastway Corporation, the Boy Scouts of America, the Dayton Red Cross, and Artemis House. In addition, Teresa was legal counsel for the AIDS Resource Center and Make a Wish Foundation. Teresa is survived by her husband, Allan M. Jones, and her brothers, Greg, Matt, and Tony Del Fatti and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents and her niece, Gina Johnson. A reception will be held at NCR Country Club, 4435 Dogwood Trail, Kettering, Ohio, on Tuesday, June 3, from 4:30 7:30 p.m. A burial service will be held on Tuesday, June 10 at 9:00 am in the U.S. Air Force Academy Protestant Cadet Chapel. Interment will immediately follow the service in the Cadet Cemetery. A hike up Eagle Peak Trail will occur (for those who are up to it...altitude 7, 200 feet) and then lunch at the Club. Teresa's family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Teresa D. Jones Sarcoma Cancer Fund at the Dayton Foundation, 500 Kettering Tower, 40 North Main Street, Dayton, Ohio 45423. Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened. Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss)