Martha Virginia Tarkington Jones, 83, died Monday, January 4, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. Born in Malvern, Arkansas to Roy Brooks Tarkington and Audie Virginia Brown Tarkington, she was raised in Malvern and Prescott. In 1943, she married Maurice Eugene Jones (son of Jester and Stella Jones of Malvern) following a whirlwind courtship. "And they said it wouldn't last."

Following World War II, the couple moved to Dallas, Texas, where Martha became an operator for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company; there, she made friends with whom she was close for the remainder of her life. She worked for Southwestern Bell until the birth of her third child, at which time she became a full-time homemaker. Following moves to Corpus Christi, Texas and Ft. Worth, Texas, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas, where she returned to work as a school nurse at Montgomery Elementary School.

After one more move (to Tulsa, Oklahoma), Martha and Maurice retired and returned to Malvern, where they enjoyed retirement for 25 years before returning to San Antonio to be near their children.

Preceded in death by her oldest daughter, Ted Laneca Jones of Malvern, she is survived by her husband of 67 years, Maurice Jones of San Antonio, Texas; her son, Nick-Alan Tarkington Jones of Houston, Texas; her daughter, Marla Jones Rhodes of Boerne, Texas, and two grandchildren, Rachel Virginia Smith and David Mark Smith, both of Boerne, Texas, as well as many friends and relatives.

Whether sculpting and painting in her ceramics studio, relaxing on the boat on Lake DeGray, collecting everything from seashells to figurines, playing with her dogs, or enjoying Christmas on the beach at Navarre Beach, Florida, Martha always exhibited a zest for life, a love of fun, dancing, and parties, and fierce love of and loyalty to her family. Her wit and joi de vivre will be missed by all who knew her. She truly was a "Renaissance Woman".

Her funeral will be held at First Baptist Church, Malvern, under direction of J. A. Funk Funeral Home, on Friday, January 8, at 1:00 pm. A visitation at the church will preceded the service at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Shadowlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Online condolences may be made via jafunkfuneralhome.com