Annabelle Jane Jones Lambert

Annabelle Jane Jones Lambert

Annabelle Jane Jones Lambert, 92, beloved mother and grandmother, fell asleep in Jesus on April 9, 2012, at Northern Montana Care Center in Havre, Mont., following a lengthy illness.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a. m., Friday, May 18, at the Havre Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Meadowlark Estates, Havre.

Annabelle was born to Mr. and Mrs. Walter (Elsie) Jones in Benton Harbor, Mich., on Nov. 8, 1919, the third of seven children. She is survived by her sister, Elsie Frances (Penny) Gillette of Indian Hills, Colo;, two daughters, Ann Louise Diamond of Loveland, Colo., and Mary Frances (Allen) Beardsley of Havre; and one son, Geoffrey LeRoy (Cheri) Jones of Willowbrook, Ill. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Brent Beardsley of Bozeman, Mont., Bryan Beardsley of Lewiston, Idaho, and Derek Jones of Willowbrook, Ill., and six great-grandchildren.

Annabelle attended high school in St. Joseph, Mich., where at age 17, she was voted Miss St. Joseph and served as an official hostess for the Blossom Time Festival. She also served as president of Tri Sigma Sorority in her senior year of high school. Later she was a member of the Tau Sigma Sorority in St. Joseph. While in college at Michigan State College in East Lansing, Mich., Annabelle was a member of the Chi Omega Sorority. It was at Michigan State College that she met LeRoy Vernon Jones, whom she married on June 20, 1941. The couple settled in Midland, Mich., where LeRoy was a chemist for the Dow Chemical Company. Midland was where the couple's three children were born and was home to the family until 1953, when Dow Chemical Co. transferred them to Maryland where they lived in Arnold.

After the children were in school, Annabelle, in her 40s, returned to school to get her teaching credentials and was awarded bachelor's and master's equivalent degrees at the University of Maryland. She taught fourth grade for more than 20 years until her retirement in 1985.

After retirement, she moved to Westmont, Ill., to be near her son, Geoff, and his family. In 1987, after being single for five years, Annabelle married Doyle Lambert. They initially split their time between Illinois and his home in Punta Gorda, Fla., but then moved full-time to Apopka, Fla.

In 1999, when Doyle's health declined, they moved to Havre, to be near Annabelle's daughters, Ann Louise and Francy. Doyle passed away in February 2001. Annabelle enjoyed the many friends she made in Havre while living at the Eagles Manor Apartments, especially her friend, Pat Shea.

She was a beloved member and benefactor of the Havre Seventh-Day Adventist Church.