Arleathe "Lea" Jones

Arleathe “Lea” Marie Jones was born on May 23, 1928, in Cut Bank, Montana to Emile and Stefani (Schaube) Zeulke.  She was the sixth of seven children.  She grew up in Cut Bank during the Great Depression and graduated from Cut Bank High School in 1946.  Her parents owned a farm and ranch operation.  Lea remembered being very poor and only having one dress to wear to school.  The family lived on credit at the local grocery store until oil was discovered on their land.  Lea remarked that her father was so proud to be able to pay off the line of credit at the store that had been building for several years. After high school, Lea moved to Helena and attended and graduated from Helena business school. She was then hired at Mountain Bell which was one of the “Baby Bells” owned by AT&T.  A couple years later, while attending a social function and dance in Missoula, she met a young man from Helena who was in college at the time.  His name was Harper Jones, and they were later married after Lea insisted, she wouldn’t marry him unless he graduated from college.  They were married in the St. Helena Cathedral on October 11, 1952.  Harper entered dental school in 1954 and Lea transferred to Illinois Bell in Chicago where she worked her way up the ladder until she became an Executive Assistant to one of the Vice Presidents of the company.  After Harper’s graduation in 1958, they moved back to Helena where Harper practiced as a general dentist and Lea gave birth to their three children.  After 8 years in Helena they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for two years where Harper trained to become an orthodontist.  Upon graduation, they moved to Pendleton at the behest of John McBee, a dental school friend of theirs.  They made their lifelong home in Pendleton where their kids graduated from Pendleton High School.  They were long time members of the Pendleton Country Club, the Dinner Dance Club and many other social get-togethers.  Lea volunteered at St. Anthony’s Hospital Auxiliary as a “Candy Striper” as well as at St. Mary’s Church.  She was a member of the PEO Chapter EM and the Delphians. In her later years she also volunteered every week at the St. Mary’s Outreach program. She loved card games with her family and was a regular in two different bridge groups that met on a weekly basis. She traveled extensively throughout Europe and especially enjoyed trips to Hawaii with her family.

Arleathe was preceded in death by her parents and all of her six siblings.  She is survived by her two sons, Harper (Kim) Jones, Wells (Merika) Jones and her daughter Jean (Brian) Watkins, as well as two grandsons Harper and Jake Jones and four granddaughters, Sydney Jones, Cally and Emma Watkins and Gwen Jones.  The family will request that if the spirit moves you to please consider donating to a charity of your choice. 

Arleathe died on Monday, April 17, 2023 at a local care facility.  A Rosary will be held on Saturday April 22, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 9:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.  The burial will be at Olney Cemetery following the mass and a brunch will be served in the parish hall.