Marilyn Jones will celebrate her 90th birthday on Sunday, March 13. Friends and family are invited to a “Day at the Beach” open house in her honor at Schoolcraft United Methodist Church, 342 N. Grand St., from 3-5 p.m.
The theme? Jones writes prize-winning poetry and loves to spend time on the beach, said her daughter, Laurie Bittle. Jones has a particular fondness for family days at the beach, with her toes in the sand and her face to the sun, Bittle joked. “With a March birthday, it might be a little chilly for a day at the beach, so we are bringing a little bit of the beach to her. We hope friends will stop in on the 13th, (flip flops optional).”
Jones is a graduate of Sturgis High School and attended Western Michigan College, before it was called a university, and has been a longtime resident of Schoolcraft. She retired after 31 years of service to Kalamazoo County State Bank. She also taught an 8th grade Project Business class and served as a court-appointed special advocate for abused children.
Since retirement, Jones has kept busy with many clubs and avid reading and writing. She’s become locally known for her poetry and is often invited to read one of her poems for public events. She was honored to receive recognition for her writing submissions for the past two years at the Schoolcraft Public Library Tournament of Writers contest.