Curling legend Colleen Jones was known for the bright lights, banners, stones and microphones but, for those closest to her, it was the simple things that mattered most.
Jones died Nov. 25 at the age of 65.
In the eulogy to his wife of 41 years, Scott Saunders spoke of Jones’s love of family, cycling, coffee and their seaside home in Maders Cove.
“I had a lot of tears and when I thought about it, it was because we led such a blessed life, untouched by tragedy,” said Saunders at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Halifax on Friday morning. “I can’t remember how many times Colleen said, ‘We are so lucky.’ She lived with gratitude for all of our blessings.
“What’s important to note is she lived her life with joy and gratitude in the things that she saw and experienced.”
Jones was an avid cyclist, who enjoyed bike trips throughout Europe.
“I can’t count how many times we would come around the corner of some coastal road and she would burst out saying, ‘That is so pretty,’ ” recalled Saunders.
On the ice, Jones was among the greatest to throw a rock. Her accomplishments include two world women’s titles, six Scotties Canadian championships, two Canadian mixed crowns and a world senior title.
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Jones competed at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts national championships 21 times and played more Scotties games than any curler. She was also the youngest skip ever to win a Canadian women’s title in 1982.
She is a member of
Canada’s Sport Hall of Fame
and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame.
Away from the rink, Jones carved out a fascinating 37-year career with CBC as a reporter and host, telling stories of everyday Canadians. She was also the first female sports anchor in Halifax.
Her open-minded seeking and sense of adventure served her well in that role.
“Colleen was exceptional at managing all this, her office, her makeup room and booking network all ran from the front seat of her car,” said Saunders. “While in the car in traffic, she could book an interview, put on makeup and arrive just in time.”
Saunders said her curling and work careers took off when their young family, with sons Luke and Zach, was established.
“With the kids and her career fully launched, she broke out in full blossom in the late ’90s and early 2000s. She literally became the embodiment of the then-contemporary Super Mom.”
Ken Bagnell, CEO of Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic, had a front-row seat as the mental performance coach of the Jones rink, which included Mary-Anne Arsenault, Nancy Delahunt and Kim Kelly. Bagnell said Jones was always looking for an edge to improve her performance.
“Physical preparation, nutrition, mental performance, any edge that she could get, she was looking for it,” said Bagnell. “She trained so much. Every day, she was training with the team or on her own. She was looking for the things that are now common; they weren’t common back then. She was a pioneer in many of those.”
Jones had a thirst for knowledge and was always searching for the next thing, said Saunders.
And that next thing was coaching. Jones took great pride as the coach of Team Owen Purcell, the up-and-coming Nova Scotia men’s rink, which included her son Luke at third. She also coached Luke and his fiancée, Marlee Powers, to consecutive Nova Scotia mixed doubles titles.
“I think that is what got her really excited for the past couple of years,” said Bagnell. “She gave everything to those teams and to be involved with curling and having an impact. She left such an impression on so many people with how she conducted herself this past couple of years, when no one knew that she was having this fight.”
Bagnell said Jones opened up to him about the state of her health.
“She was still front and centre and didn’t want to burden anyone with feeling sorry for her or anything like that,” he said. “Just watching her through that journey, especially the last year, fighting through that to help others, was actually a gift. It was amazing.
“A lot of people didn’t see that side of her because she was very direct and wanted what she wanted. Whether it was work, in the curling world, she was very compassionate and cared about everybody she was around, especially her family, which obviously is her bedrock.
“It was really easy to work with her because you got as much back as you gave, always.”