Obits for All: Morel “Deede” Baquié Jones

What’s your earliest memory of her? 

“When I was in preschool, I wanted to learn to spell my name. I got chalk and went to the sidewalk outside our home. I had to go inside to ask my mother, letter by letter, what came next. I couldn’t remember more than one letter at a time, but I remember her patience and that she held the key to this amazing skill I wanted to have. This is the first of many memories of things she taught me, including how to make Hollandaise sauce and fudge, among other important skills.” — her daughter Julie

“She was not hesitant to ask questions and speak the truth.” — colleague on the board at Jewish Hospital

If you made a playlist of songs that remind you of her, what’s one song that would be on it?

“‘I Am Woman,’ by Helen Reddy. She was a true steel magnolia long before the movie made the term famous — gracious, lovely, tenacious, incredibly capable and fiercely loyal.” — her daughter 

What was your favorite thing to do together?

“Travel — pretty much anywhere. In 1987, we spent three weeks together in China, Tibet and Hong Kong. Some of the trip was rough and hard, both physically and emotionally, but she was invariably gracious, relaxed, easygoing, curious, intrepid, flexible and fun to be with. After my father died, she and I traveled a number of times together — to New York, Boston, Vermont, Paris, Italy, Charlotte.” — her daughter

“Sit and talk and listen to the words coming from her incredibly thoughtful mind.” — one of her caregivers

What was her most noticeable quirk?

“She was our bridge group’s resident medical advisor. She should have been a doctor.” — her friend Elizabeth Tyrrell

What were her nicknames?

“‘Deede,’ though a few of her high school friends called her ‘Deedles.’” — her daughter

What did she look like? 

“The cutest little lady who knew how to dress.” — one of her caregivers

“Like a cross between Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy.” — her daughter

What details about her will you always remember? 

“Her wit.” — colleague on the board at Jewish Hospital

“Deede’s ability to put herself together. I loved seeing her in high heels to go to a meeting. She was definitely eclectic, as was her home.” — Tyrrell

“Always the best rags. Her closet was full of class and color.” — one of her caregivers

“My mother, her sister and their mother each had a great sense of style, including a taste for designer clothes, but not a budget for that — especially with six children to buy clothes for. So, she and her parents made shopping pilgrimages every few years to Boston to go to Filene’s Basement or to Loehmann’s in New York to load up for themselves and the other women and girls in the family. They bought beautiful clothes and shoes for 10 percent to 20 percent of original cost. Those places didn’t have dressing rooms, so my grandfather went with them to hold the clothes they gathered. Then they went back to the hotel room, tried everything on and, the next morning, returned whatever didn’t work. When I lived in and near Boston as a young adult, I carried on the tradition of pilgrimages to Filene’s, especially for the end-of-season sales, and shipped boxes home for the women in the family to try on and ship back in time for the two-week limit on returns.” — her daughter

Can you think of a time she did or said something that had an impact on you? 

“When I returned to Louisville and we met and she looked at me and said, ‘Let me know how I can help you with your re-entry into Louisville.’” — her friend 

“When I was very young, one of our favorite things to do as a family was to meet my father after work on a Friday evening and eat dinner at the Blue Boar Cafeteria, followed by a movie at a downtown theater. The Blue Boar was a fantasyland of food for young eyes — purple, orange and lemon drinks in big glasses, lots of cakes, pies and puddings, everything at a child’s height to grab and put on your tray. One evening, at the family dinner table at home, Mom announced that we were no longer going to the Blue Boar, nor to movies downtown. We were heartbroken until she explained why. She said that Black — in those days, she would have used the term ‘Negro’ — children and their families weren’t allowed to go to the Blue Boar or downtown movies. She explained how that was fundamentally unfair and that white people like us were being asked to stay away too. She enabled us to participate in this historic boycott willingly and proudly. I never forgot the lesson and am proud of my mother’s ethical stand that went against the norms of her friends and social group.” — her daughter

Where did you eat together in Louisville? 

“Mesh, steak frites.” — one of her caregivers

“She loved a good burger and milkshake, so Five Guys.” — one of her caregivers 

“After we were no longer on the board at Jewish Hospital, she and I and two other former board members, Betty Jane Fleischaker and Len Wexler, would meet once a month at the Bristol on Bardstown Road at 5 p.m. for a drink, artichoke fritters and green-chili wontons.” — colleague on the board at Jewish Hospital

“My mother had high taste in many things, but when it came to her favorite meal, we all knew it was a McDonald’s hamburger with fries and a Coke. She loved it because, she said, ‘They are reliable.’” — her daughter

What’s something you did together in Louisville that you’ll never forget?

“Went to the Cottage Salon to get her hair done every Wednesday.” — one of her caregivers

What made her cuss?

“Never heard her cuss.” — her friend

What groups was she a part of?

“She was a longtime board member of Metro United Way (and the first woman to be its chairperson), Jewish Hospital, the Heart and Lung Institute, Family and Children’s Place, United Crescent Hill Ministries, Senior House (which later became Elderserve), Junior League (where she was president), the Community Foundation of Louisville, the Family Relations Center, the Bingham Child Guidance Clinic, the Kentucky Association of Older Persons, the Community Action Commission, the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living, the Plymouth Urban Center, St. Francis School, Stage One, the Louisville Theatrical Association — you get the idea. She spent a lifetime working to make Louisville a more wonderful, fair and compassionate community.” — her daughter 

What sports teams did she root for?

“She and my father were long-standing season-ticket holders for U of L men’s basketball. Her blood ran red for the Cards.” — her daughter 

What’s something only those closest to her would know?

“A favorite expression of hers to describe some people was: ‘Energy vampire.’” — Tyrrell

“She was born Morel DeGuiramond Baquié in New Orleans. She hated how people routinely butchered her first and last names — forget the middle one! — and was delighted to marry Larry Jones, becoming Deede Jones, a name everyone could handle.” — her daughter 

When you close your eyes and picture her, how do you see her?

“Throwing her head back with joyous laughter or smiling in that particular way that she seemed to reserve for babies and small children.” — her daughter 

What story about her do you find yourself remembering?

“Maryhurst (a nonprofit for Kentucky children suffering from neglect and abuse) always had a holiday open house in December, and Deede and Larry were always invited. One year, Deede called and wanted to know if they could bring their dog. I said yes and pictured them bringing a small poodle. When they came that night, they had brought Cookie, a Great Dane. Cookie was so tall she could get the cookies off the table. They took Cookie around to see all of our residents. Great night.” — Judy Lambeth, who retired last year as CEO of Maryhurst
“I loved to dance and took ballet lessons starting in second grade, but I hated dancing on pointe shoes; the older I got, the more that was the focus in ballet class. So, my mother and my grandparents took me one evening to Bloomington to see Martha Graham perform. I will never forget the exhilaration and wonder of seeing that way of dancing. I knew immediately that is what I wanted to do. She opened another world for me at a time when she had six children to care for. Each of us can remember a time when she did something very specific and special for us like that.” — her daughter