On the fifth of April, 1920, Margaret Alice Northington was born to Marshall and Ollie Northington in Dallas, Texas. She was the middle child, preceded by her brother Marshall Jr. and would eventually be followed by her little sister Betty in 1925. My grandmother never talked much about her childhood but I do know she lived with her grandparents for a time as a young girl while her parents presumably searched for jobs. At the tender age of 16 she got permission to marry her true love, Tommie Lewis Jones, and they were wed on St. Patrick's Day in 1937. They were married for 63 years until Tommie's death in mid 2000. Although they fought frequently in their later years, my great-grandparents were very much in love with each other and in photos you can still see the fondness they had for each other in their eyes. Tommie and Margaret would have a total of 5 children over a long period of 20 years, but only 3 of those children survive today. Their eldest daughter Margaret, named after her mother, is my grandmother. The family moved around a lot, my great-grandparents leaving their native Texas for Arizona, and eventually central California. They settled down for good in Arroyo Grande, California, where they would stay for over 50 years. I remember visiting my grandmother many times during her later years; she had 3 schnauzers named Honey, Angel, and Patty, who were her constant companions around the house. Many times I would sit by my grandmother's feet while we watched TV together, and she would tell me stories about how she grew up listening to the radio with her family. According to her, her father swore by the fact that someday they'd be able to see the radio, and it happened only a few years later. My great grandmother passed in 2011 at the age of 91, having lost a battle with dementia among other ailments. I miss her every day and I constantly wish she still lived around the corner from me so I could visit her, just like I used to. I know she's watching over me somewhere.
I love you, Grandmother, and I'll never forget you. I hope you're happy with your memorial, because you know you deserve it.


Obituary:
On Thursday, 23 June 2011, Margaret Alice (Northington) Jones, 91, passed away in Arroyo Grande, California.
She was born in April of 1920 in Dallas, Texas, and was the daughter of Marshall W. Northington Sr., and Ollie K. (Orsborne) Northington.
Margaret married Tommie Lewis Jones, on Wednesday, 17 March 1937 had been married for 63 years until Tommie passed on Tuesday, 06 June 2000.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Marshall W. Northington Sr. and Ollie K. (Orsborne) Northington; husband of 63 years, Tommie Lewis Jones; sons, John Patrick Jones and Thomas Steven Jones; brother, Marshall W. Northington Jr.; sons-in-law Ralph Cole and James Baker; sisters-in-law Virginia Northington and Delores Collins; and nieces Katherine Zornes and Marsha Branagan.