Mary Frances Dannemiller Jarrold
Mary Frances died Saturday, April 28, 2007 after a long struggle with emphysema. She was born in Akron, Ohio on January 17, 1929. After attending Saint Sebastian School, she graduated from Old Trail High School in 1948. She attended the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey and graduated from the University of Akron in 1952, where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority.
Mary Frances spent the next 12 years as a stewardess flying for American Airlines and logged over one million miles. While living in New York City, she was a permanent member of the American Airlines Stewardess System Board of Adjustment, hearing stewardess grievance cases. This included time in 1962 when the stewardesses testified before the United States Congress regarding a pre-civil rights era contract rule requiring stewardesses to leave their jobs when they reached the age of 32 or became married. Her career spanned the transition between piston/propeller aircraft (Convair 240, DC-6, DC-7) and commercial jet aircraft (Boeing 707). After retiring, Mary Frances was a member of the American Airlines Kiwi Club, serving as vice president.
She married Jerome Thomas Jarrold in 1964 and lived in Easton, Connecticut until 1996. Following her husband’s death, she lived with family in Scarsdale, New York and returned to her Akron roots in 1998.
Mary Frances served as president of Citizens for Easton , the Easton Garden Club, the Parent Teacher Organization, and was active on the Parish Council for Notre Dame of Easton Church. In Akron, she was a member of the Saint Thomas Hospital Womens’ Board and Saint Sebastian Church.
She was an avid gardener, floral designer, tennis player, figure skater and sailor. She loved to sew and made many of her stylish clothes.
She is predeceased by her parents, Lawrence M. and Frances C.; her husband Jerome; two brothers, William J. and Frederick F.; step-son Steven Jarrold; and nephew, Joel Dannemiller. She is survived by two sons, William Lawrence of San Francisco, Thomas Edward of New York City; two step-daughters, Nancy Jarrold of San Francisco, and Wendy Robinson of Wallingford, Connecticut; three brothers, J. Lawrence of Grand Haven, Michigan, Thomas E., Sr. of Akron, and Edward P. of La Quinta, California; one sister, Dorothy D. Rogers of Santa Fe, New Mexico; three step-grandchildren; twenty-two nieces and nephews, and twenty-nine grandnieces and nephews.
A Memorial Mass of Christian burial will be held at Saint Sebastian Church on Friday, May 4, 2007 at 11 o’clock, followed by interment at Holy Cross Cemetary.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff of the Akron General Medical Center.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Lung Association, 61 Broadway, New York, NY 10006; Hospice of VNS, 3358 Ridgewood Road, Akron, OH 44333; or Saint Sebastian Church, 476 Mull Avenue, Akron, OH 44320.
You can read more about Mary Fran’s life at maryfrancesjarrold.blogspot.com.
