Earldamae "Mame" Jones

Earldamae Kathryn 'Mame' Jones died December 31, 2017 at Eventide on Eighth in Moorhead. The second of Charles and Lucille (Rapp) Gallagher's four children, Mame was born in Forbes, ND on September 2, 1922. She graduated from high school in Aberdeen, SD. Mame married her love Robert Jones on August 3, 1944, and together the couple lived in Moorhead. While Bob worked for the railroad, Mame nurtured daughters Kathryn, Kaye, and Karol at home.

When Karol was in third grade, Mame volunteered as a lunchroom supervisor at Lincoln School, and later served as secretary to the principal. She eventually relocated to Riverside School, continuing as the administrative assistant and office manager until her retirement in 1988. At Riverside, Mame was the kindly and beloved 'Mrs. Jones' to hundreds of elementary students who found all sorts of reasons to visit the desk from which she would dispense tissues, bandages, lunch money loans, and comforting reassurance.

Mame was an active member of Moorhead Altrusa and St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, where she served on the altar guild and taught Sunday school and confirmation classes while Bob shared his musical talent as the organist. For more than half a century, Mame prepared big Sunday meals every single week in her small two-bedroom north Moorhead house, which always managed to comfortably accommodate the 20 to 25 family members and friends who gathered to enjoy signature dishes like the traditional Irish 'boiled dinner' of beef, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage.

Mame's door was always open, and visitors would be greeted by the aroma of fresh cinnamon rolls, gooey chocolate brownies, homemade donuts, perfect apple pies, and all manner of delectable baked goods that she loved to make from scratch and without the need of any formal recipes.

An unfailingly trustworthy and generous soul, Mame was quick with a smile and even quicker with a warm hug. She composed poetry, played the violin (which she always called her fiddle), and blazed through crossword and jigsaw puzzles. Each year, she shared the bounty of her sizable garden, including what seemed like a never-ending supply of delicious, vine-ripened tomatoes. A few years ago, a wrestling match with a pesky water hose ended in a broken wrist, but undeterred, the planting and harvesting continued.

A patient caregiver and close listener who made everyone feel important and heard, Mame cherished her role as mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She attended countless recitals, programs, performances, and events in support of her loved ones, and saved every single card, drawing, letter, and art project created for her. She was our champion and our hero.

Mame was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert, siblings Clinton and Charles Gallagher and LaVaughn Kemmer, and grandchildren Timothy Zitzow and Gretchen Carlson Kost. She is survived by daughters Kathy (Bruce) Carlson, Kaye (Jeff) Blake, and Karol (Daniel) Zitzow; grandchildren Greg (Katie Smith) Carlson, Grady (Jessica) Carlson, Jeremy (Meagan) Blake, Andrea (Gordon) Canton, Matthew (Katie) Zitzow, and Stephen (Emma) Zitzow; and great-grandchildren Forrest Carlson and Violet Smith, Hattie and Beck Kost, Abe and Oliver Carlson, Micah and Ainsley Blake, Mackenzie and Lucas Canton, and Josiah and Judah Zitzow; and several nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at Korsmo Funeral Chapel in Moorhead on Thursday, January 4 from 5-7 p.m., with a prayer service beginning at 6:30 p.m. The funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday, January 5 at Gethsemane Epsicopal Cathedral in Fargo. Memorials may be given to Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral or a charity of your choice.

(Korsmo Funeral Service, Moorhead, MN)