Obituary of Judith Jones O'Neill

Judith Hannah-Lee Jones O'Neill, age 86, died on January 17, 2022. She was the devoted wife of the late Howard Tiel O'Neill for 40 years until his passing in November of 2005. Judy had recently moved to Gwynedd Estates (Oct. 2021) in Lower Gwynedd, PA following 13 years of residence in Ambler, PA. Prior to moving to Ambler in 2008, Judy lived in Jenkintown, PA for 40 years, where she raised her family and was very active in the community. Judy served on the Jenkintown Borough Council for 16 years and was the first woman president of Borough Council. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Judy was the daughter of the late Charles Haddon and the late Adelle Marie (Geagan) Jones. Judy graduated from Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1954. Following high school, Judy attended Duke University and received a B.A. in political science in 1958. Judy was one of only two female political science majors in her class! After college, Judy moved to Philadelphia. She lived in center city and worked as an insurance underwriter at Towers Perrin. She worked at Towers Perrin until 1966 when she stopped working to focus on raising her children. Judy went back to work in the insurance industry in 1980, working at several different agencies in the Jenkintown area until she retired in 2000. Judy was extremely involved in her community, serving on numerous boards and organizations. Some of her notable service includes serving on Jenkintown Borough Council for 16 years, including as the first woman president; multiple years of service to the Church of Our Saviour in numerous capacities, including as Senior Warden; Treasurer of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Northeastern Montgomery County Branch; Episcopal Church Club; the Jenkintown Library Society; and many more. Volunteering in the community was important to Judy. She regularly volunteered for the Springfield Mills restoration project at Morris Arboretum; Let's Read Math in Philadelphia; making sack lunches for feeding programs; and others. Additionally, she was very active with Great Decisions, her book club, and numerous ad-hoc clubs in and around her community. Judy loved to travel! Her travel passion began by spending a couple of months traveling around Europe right after college. Judy and Howard travelled to many tropical destinations and enjoyed numerous family vacations to New England, the Outer Banks, Cumberland Falls, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Jersey Shore, Canada, the Rocky Mountains, and numerous National Parks across the country. Judy's international habit really kicked into gear post-retirement, including trips to China/Tibet, Ireland, Israel, Russia, and Guatemala. A hobby of Judy's was researching and learning about all the places in the world she wanted to explore. Additionally, she loved cooking, gardening, reading, and spending time with her friends/family. Judy is survived by her two daughters, Samantha Lee O'Neill-Dunbar of Denver, Colorado; Rebecca Tiel Sol of Norwood, Massachusetts; two granddaughters (Stephanie Tiel of Norwood, MA and Lindsay Adelle of Denver, CO); brother Charles Haddon Jones, Jr. of Ormond Beach, Florida. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 11:00 AM at St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh, Bethlehem Pike and Camp Hill Road, Fort Washington, PA, where friends will be received from 10:00 AM until the time of service. Inurnment in St. Thomas' Church, Whitemarsh Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to AAUW-NEMCO (American Association of University Women, Northeast Montgomery County Chapter) c/o Paula Cosden, President, 501 N. Bethlehem Pike, #10B, Ambler, PA 19002 or to Church of our Saviour,1309 Welsh Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.