Antiques market loses beloved manager

special to viewBarbara Jones, who managed Antiques at the Market, 6665 Eastern Ave., was not aware she had terminal cancer when she visited an urgent care center on March 13 and died a few days later. Advertisement

Barbara Jones hadn't been feeling well for a while, but she didn't have health insurance, so investigating exactly what was wrong would have to wait until later. Later turned out to be March 13, when she visited an urgent care center and died on March 16 at St. Rose Hospital's Sienna Campus in Henderson.

Jones, who was the manager of Antiques at the Market, 6665 S. Eastern Ave., initially was diagnosed with gall stones and a bladder infection, but further tests revealed that the problems ran deeper. That Sunday, she succumbed to terminal cancer, leaving behind her 14-year-old son and her 80-year-old mother, both of whom relied on her for support. Jones was 52.

"I sat with her in the emergency room for three hours that first day," sister Lori Jones said. "I talked to her that night, and she told me not to hurry back, nothing was happening. They were planning on doing some tests. She asked me to bring her robe and nail polish."

By the time Lori saw her sister again, Barbara was heavily sedated with morphine and was only able to vaguely answer questions. Lori noted that she wasn't sure how much her sister understood from that point on.

"I'm not sure if she knew she had cancer," Lori said.

The family never had a chance to connect with Barbara again before her death. "It hurts so much," said Lori, "because I never got to talk to her again because she was so out of it."

Barbara had been a number of things in her life. In the 30 years she lived in the valley, she had worked as a dealer at a number of casinos, as a real estate appraiser and as a travel agent. At her wake, which was held March 26 at Palm Valley Memorial Park, it was apparent that it was in the roles of caregiver, friend, family member and mother that she would most be missed.

"Wherever she went, she made things happy," friend Pat Griffin said. "Wherever she went, she made things seem brighter."

Antiques at the Market was closed for Barbara's funeral. The owners donated the flowers for it, and the Tea Room inside the market provided refreshments for the informal get-together that was held afterward.

"Every day, people come in and ask for her, and I have to tell them," co-worker and friend Karla Diaz said. "A lot of them break down right there."

The market is taking donations to help out the surviving family. Barbara's son will now live with her sister Jill. Friends and family are trying to work out an arrangement that will allow Barbara's mother to remain in the home they shared in Henderson.

"It's hard," Diaz said. "We're all coping as best we can."

Donations for Barbara's family can be made at Antiques at the Market. For more information, call 307-3960.