Jean Jones Billington, age 84, of Bristol, died at her home on Good Friday, April 15, surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Forestville on August 14, 1937 to the late Harold and Rita (Smith) Jones. A lifelong resident of Bristol, she attended local schools and worked at Pratt & Whitney for 35 years prior to retiring. As a young woman, she worked tirelessly to raise her family, and she continued to dedicate herself to her daughters and granddaughters for the rest of her life.
Jean was known for her energy and work ethic, as well as for her sense of humor and devotion to her family. She was proud to keep her house spotless and always ready to use her boundless energy to care for her family, whether by working multiple jobs while raising her two daughters, taking care of small grandchildren, offering her car and her patience to teach teenaged granddaughters to drive, or showering her great-grandkids with attention and gifts. While Jean would be the first to admit cooking was not her greatest passion, her family always looked forward to a rare Thanksgiving or Christmas appearance of Gram’s coffee cake, Italian wedding soup, ambrosia salad, or her delicious baked beans in their brown pot. In addition to spending time with her family, she enjoyed traveling to Cape Cod and Florida, dancing and taking trips to the casino with her longtime companion Anthony Ranco, who predeceased her in December 2018.
Jean leaves behind her two daughters, Kim Bechert and husband Bill of Farmington and Karen Johnson and husband Ron of Bristol; four granddaughters Carolyn O’Shaughnessy and husband Blake of Massachusetts, Molly Bechert and husband Jon Aramburu of Spain, Abigail Bechert and partner Asa Burton of Minnesota and Wendy Rau and husband Nick of Massachusetts; five great-grandchildren, William and Cate O’Shaughnessy, Xabier and Amaia Aramburu and Wade Rau; two sisters, Maud Murray of Florida and Patty Robichaud of Maine; four brothers, James (Chipper) Jones of Bristol, George and Rodney Jones of Florida and Bruce Jones of North Carolina; and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her longtime partner Tony, Jean was predeceased by her granddaughter Kristen Jean Bechert, sisters Carlene Mule, Verlie Wallace and Phyllis Taylor and brothers Harold (Buddy), Merle (Skippy), Park (Sterling), Wayne, Jay and Ted Jones.
The family would like to express their gratitude to Karen for her loving, tireless care of her mother during Jean’s final years and to the caregivers at Hospice and Heavenly Hands for their care and compassion.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.
To leave an online message of condolence, share a memory or a photo, please visit Jean’s tribute page at www.OBrien-FuneralHome.com