Mary Jones Venard, 77, died in her Jacksonville, Oregon, home on June 11, 2018, from the effects of lung cancer. She bore this with serene acceptance, though she never smoked.
Mary was born May 23, 1941 in Mobile, Alabama, the eldest child of Cecilia and Daniel Jones, Jr. She completed her BA in Music at the University of Tennessee in 1965, after marrying the love of her life, John Venard. The couple lived in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where children Stefanie and Mark were born, and moved to St. Charles, Illinois, in 1971, where daughter Lara was born. In 2003, John and Mary relocated to San Jose, California, where they enjoyed the proximity to Stefanie’s family. In 2013, they joined the Jacksonville, Oregon, community where Lara and her family live.
Mary taught piano to generations of students, and adjudicated and coordinated statewide contests. She was thrilled to win a Portland Piano International Tholen Fellowship in 2015, a capstone opportunity to study teaching and technique with renowned concert pianist and teacher Alexander Shtarkman. Mary also studied piano with Annie Sherter, Dimitri Paperno, Bruce Anderson, and Barbara Lister-Sink. She was a member of the Music Teachers National Association, numerous Suzuki music associations, and held certifications in Illinois, California and Oregon.
A fully certified Montessori teacher, Mary believed in the potential of all children and the power of family to nurture this potential, living these principles in every aspect of her life. She taught music and art to all her children and took great satisfaction that all her grandchildren received musical training, with some pursuing careers in the arts. Mary’s creative thinking and artistic sensibilities guided her many endeavors, from gardening and interior design, to crafts, fashion, cooking and travel. She embraced joy and beauty in all forms, and was highly curious, open-minded, and emotionally intelligent. She never stopped learning and read extensively on subjects ranging from history, geology, literature, theology and music. Her Catholic faith sustained and comforted her.
Mary is survived by sisters Christopher (Paul) Fedor, Stuart (Laddie) Pepke and Grace (Robert Mercader) Jones, and brother Daniel Jones III (Denise); daughters, Stefanie (Robert) Wilen and Lara (Christopher, M.D.) David; son Mark (Sally); and grandchildren Nathan Wilen, Henry Wilen, Jesse Wilen, Claire Venard, Kent David and Clark David, as well as numerous nieces & nephews. Mary was preceded in death by John, her husband of nearly 54 years, and her parents. A funeral Mass will be held July 14, 2018; burial will be at the Jacksonville Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the Mary Venard Music Education fund, benefitting the Jacksonville Community Center, at cedarson4th.org/mvmef and PO Box 1435, Jacksonville OR 97530.