Hildegard Vetter Jones

SALISBURY — Hildegard Vetter Jones died Feb. 24, 2012, after a long bout with ovarian cancer. A native of Germany, she first came to the Northwest Corner as a weekender in 1980. She loved the area and by 1996 she and her husband, Ron Jones, were full-time residents. She was an avid gardener and during recent years she enjoyed participating with her Sunday afternoon knitting group.Hildegard was born in the quaint university town of Wurzburg in 1941 and four years later survived the RAF’s firebombing devastation of the central city. As a teenager she was a West German water skiing junior champion, skiing on the local Main River. Graduating from school with honors in English, she worked for several years at Deutsche Bank in Wurzburg. She came to the United States in 1964 and after several temporary jobs entered the world of Wall Street. Working first with Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, she moved on to Wainwright Securities and Morgan Stanley. Having a lifelong interest in folk art, she later worked with the Museum of American Folk Art and became production manager of its monthly magazine, The Clarion.She had two major athletic interests, skiing and running. After learning to ski in the Austrian Alps, on coming to America she transferred her interests to Vermont and later to the snow-covered mountains of Colorado and Utah. When in 1977 snow was scarce for downhill skiing at Vail, she led a group cross-country skiing over the challenging Shrine Pass. When in 1978 a blizzard hit New York City, she cross-country skied down Park Avenue to her 46th Street office. She took up running in her late 30s and successfully completed four New York City Marathons in times ranging from 3:30 to 3:15, placing her high in her age group. During the 1980s she ran many races, some of them local, and usually placed first in her age group. As a room full of trophies would testify, often she was the first woman across the line.After living for many years in Lakeville, she and her husband in 2010 moved to Lion’s Head in Salisbury. She was a member of New York’s Cosmopolitan Club and a former member of the Central Park Track Club.She is survived by her husband and his children, Dr. Susan Jones of Boston and Stephen Jones of Ossining; a brother, Roland Vetter in Germany; and many friends. She was a member of Salisbury Congregational Church. A memorial service will be held there at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 10. Memorial contributions may be made to Ovarian Cancer Research and Treatment, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY 10065. Arrangements are under the care of the Newkirk-Palmer Funeral Home in North Canaan.