JONES, Lynda Jeanne

The Eastern Arizona Courier, Safford, Arizona ~ March 18, 2015 Lynda Jeanne Jones, 63, passed away at her home in Fountain Hills on Feb. 11, 2015, after a long, valiant struggle against​ pancreatic cancer. Born June 9, 1951, in Heber Springs, Ark., Lynda came to Morenci as an infant with her parents, Herbert and Lucille Vanaman. There she lived most of her life until relocating to Fountain Hills in February 2011. A 1969 graduate of Morenci High School, she went on to obtain an AA in business administration from EAC and worked 13 years in the Morenci employment office of Phelps Dodge Corporation. She continued her education and eventually obtained a master’s degree in education, including ​all teaching​ certifications, from NAU. She taught fourth and sixth grade at the Fairbanks Middle School in Morenci from 1987 until her retirement in 2010. Teaching and mentoring the students who passed through her classroom she considered an honor and privilege and will be her legacy. Lynda is survived by: her husband, Gary; daughter and son-in-law, Sarah and Jared Hernandez (USMC); three wonderful grandchildren, Wyatt, Adalee and Cheyanne; her brother, Bobby​ Vanaman​; sister, Tammy Hoopes; and by her constant companion and comforting pet​ dachshund​, Bratwurst.​ Her husband and family appreciate all the condolences and support received​ from all​ ​those who knew and loved ​Lynda​. Special thanks go to her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Cedric and Jeri Cranch, her niece, Chesley Kanuit, and sister-in-law, Patricia Vanaman, ​for the help, care and prayers they provided through her treatment and passing.