May Lanuza-Rojas nee Jones, August 5, 1922 – December 4, 2017, passed away at home after a long illness . She was a loving wife and mother, a doting grandmother and great-grandmother; and the model of caring, intelligence, patience, tolerance, determination, and amity.
Daughter of Saunders Jones and Grace Blanton Jones, May was part of a close-knit, blended family. All of the Jones brood grew up during the Great Depression and learned to face adversity with calm determination and to embrace the fullness of life. She always treated others fairly and warmly and earned the respect and love of all those who came to know her. She never spoke ill of others. She loved dancing and she excelled at card games; winning with equanimity and losing (though not often) with grace.
May retired from the U.S. Postal Service after rising from Mail Sorter to Personnel Hearing Officer. Although not ethnically Filipino, she was active in the Filipino-American community and was honored as Mother of the Year and was twice elected President of the Ilucos Sur Club of Chicago.
May survived cancer, other major ailments, a horrible car accident, and the passing of two husbands (Vincent Lanuza Sr. and Paul Rojas Sr.) but she never dwelt on any past sadness or disappointments, always retaining a positive outlook.
Of her beloved siblings, her sisters Hilda, Marie, Mary, and Opal all preceded her in death, as did her brother Fred. She is survived by her remaining brothers, Saunders “Buddy” (Mary) and Frank. She is also survived by her children Vincent (Suzanne), Dorothy, and Joseph; by her grandchildren Kenneth (Michelle), David (Hattie), Pamela (Wayne), and Alanna (Justin); by her great-grandchildren Kendra, Jennifer, Kaelyn, Sydney, Wyatt, Penelope, John, Benjamin, and Noelle; by her step-children Joyce (Gary), Tanya (Douglas), and Paul Jr.; and by nieces, nephews, and other extended family members too numerous to mention here but always in her heart.
Visitation was on December 12 at Skaja Terrace Funeral Home, 7812 N. Milwaukee Ave., Niles. On December 13 friends gathered at the funeral home for the funeral procession to Saint Mary of the Woods Church at 7033 N Moselle Ave., Chicago, funeral Mass. Interment was at All Saints Cemetery. For more info call 847-966-7302 or http://www.skajafuneralhomes.com.