Mary Jones bio

Mary Elizabeth Thomas, 32, was born to James and Ellen Thomas in Oxford, Mississippi. Her mother worked at a fabric store part-time to supplement James's earnings from his Chevron service station.

James worked long hours, and with Ellen working too, Mary accepted the responsibility of looking after her two younger sisters, Julie and Eleanor, and took pride in her siblings' accomplishments.

The family always watched the annual TV showing of the Miss America pageants. The three girls loved to "play pageant" and spent hours perfecting the "queen wave" and playing dress-up in their mother's high heels, gloves, earrings, and her out-of-style dresses.

When the girls wanted pageant dresses for their dolls, Mary started making them out of scraps Helen brought home from the fabric store and discovered a talent for sewing.

As she got older, Mary began making dresses for her little sisters. By using different fabrics and slightly tweaking the styles, she could reuse one basic pattern for all three girls. Coming up with new variations became a challenge to her, and eventually, she made her own patterns.

When schoolmates found out Mary made the Thomas girls' unique clothes, they asked her to create dresses for them. Mary realized she could earn money, especially at prom time, and still be at home to watch over Julie and Eleanor.

Mary graduated from Yoknapatawpha High School as an average student with a talent for color and style in women's clothes, which helped her get hired at Village Tailor to help women with their wardrobes. She had less time to sew but still made some of her sisters' school clothes and their prom dresses.

Mary Thomas met Elliott Jones at a party in the spring of the year she turned 20, and she immediately liked the serious, shy young man. After dating for nearly a year, they married and looked forward to starting their own family.

A few years into their marriage, they were financially ready to have a baby. After months of trying and numerous tests, they were heartbroken to learn that Elliott was irreversibly sterile. A friend gave Mary the name of an attorney who could help them adopt a child. Elliott was hesitant at first, but knowing how much Mary wanted a baby, he agreed.

Almost eight years ago, Mary and Elliott adopted a newborn baby girl named Billie Jo, and Mary took maternity leave from Village Tailor. She and Elliott had hoped his earnings would be sufficient to support them, but after a few months, they had to admit they needed Mary's income.

Village Tailor was so delighted with her return that they promoted her to manager with a significant pay raise. Mary arranged for her sisters to babysit Billie Jo, allowing them to earn extra money while she did the same.

Over time, Mary became friends with long-time Village Tailor customer Susan Dubois as they chatted about their similar interests, including beauty pageants. Soon, Susan hired Mary to design and create pageant garments suitable for her teen daughter's changing size and age.

Last year, as Elliott was driving back to Yoknapatawpha County from nearby Lee County, a mid-afternoon tornado passed through the area. Debris hit his car, forcing it off the road. Elliott was killed instantly.

In the aftermath, Mary relied on support from Susan, who knew from experience how devastating a spouse's death could be. Mary appreciated having a friend who truly understood the difficulties of widowhood and single-parenting.

Mary and Billie Jo became closer than ever to Susan and her daughter, Barbara, and they thought of themselves as family.

Mary and Billie Jo were at the YCCC to support Barbara in the pageant, and it was Mary who called 911 to report Barbara's disappearance.