LAURENE JONES, age 71, died on Monday, April 21, 2025. She passed peacefully, with her children by her side, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where she was being treated following complications from a recent surgery.
Born in Brookline, Mass., on February 11, 1954, Laurene (born Mary Scott Blake) was adopted from an orphanage in Boston’s Back Bay by Lawrence and Jean Bennett of Lexington, Mass. Laurene lived in Lexington until age six, then moved to suburban Philadelphia, Penn.. She attended Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Penn., graduating in 1972.
From a young age, Laurene excelled as an artist. She took private lessons in drawing and painting as a child. The subjects of her work focused primarily on portraits and landscapes, and she began selling her work as a teenager. She was an especially skilled watercolorist and belonged to several local arts organizations during her life.
In the mid-1970s, Laurene moved to the Boston area and began taking classes at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She supported herself by working as a waitress at Würsthaus, a German restaurant in Harvard Square. It was there that she met Lee Jones, to whom she was formerly married. They had two children—a son, Bradford, and a daughter, Lindsey. The family lived in Lowell, Mass. before moving to Boxborough, Mass. in 1997.
In addition to raising her children full-time, Laurene took up several part-time jobs over the years. None suited her better than leading art and educational activities for senior citizens receiving memory care. Laurene took great pride in engaging with her residents, devising fun and meaningful activities to tap into their creativity and help them remain active.
Laurene relocated to Nashua, N.H. in 2007. She continued to make art and spent time traveling around New England in her signature green Mini Cooper. She especially enjoyed visiting Mystic, Conn., shopping at thrift stores, and seeking out moose—both the real and stuffed animal versions. Laurene loved to learn new things and was always reading books, scouring the web, or browsing YouTube. A consummate music lover, Laurene could identify songs and artists with ease, and had a particular fondness for folk and early rock and roll.
She will be remembered as a caring mother and grandmother. She loved spending time with her grandson, Benjamin, whom she visited often. Laurene enveloped those around her with openness, curiosity, and warmth. She smiled brightly, rocked and hummed along with the music she heard, and was unfailingly empathic and generous in spirit.
Laurene is survived by her two children, Brad (Vesi) of Natick, Mass., and Lindsey (Michael) of New Jersey; her beloved grandson, Benjamin; and her ex-husband, Lee, of Boxborough, Mass. She was predeceased by her adoptive parents; a brother, Bruce Bennett; and a longtime partner, Ken Hill.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Laurene’s memory may be made to the PAN Foundation, The Home for Little Wanderers, or Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County, N.H. Her family plans to convene a private celebration of life in the coming months.