Margaret Mary Donovan Jones, affectionately known as Peg to all, died on August 19, 2026, after a short illness. She was 78 years old.

Peg was born on November 5, 1947, and grew up in Manhasset, New York. She was the only daughter of Jerry and Mary Donovan, and sister to Jerry Donovan, Jr., all of whom preceded her in death. She was the loving wife of Steve “Fudd” Jones for almost 50 years until his passing in 2021. Peg leaves behind the legacy of which she was most proud: her three children, Mary Beth (David) Capka, Bryan Jones, and Brendan (Meghan) Jones and her 11 grandchildren: Joe, Ben (Rem), Danny, Alison and Ellie Capka; Raymond, Louis, and Rose Jones; and Ryan, Clay and Reese Jones. She will be dearly missed by her Jones in-laws and her many nieces and nephews.

Peg attended Catholic school her entire academic career including St. Mary’s High School and Marymount College in Tarrytown, NY. After graduating, she worked as one of only a few women in the editorial department for Business Week magazine and enjoyed her years living in New York City. On June 24, 1972, she married the love of her life, Steve “Fudd” Jones, in Monmouth Beach, NJ. They moved to Los Angeles, CA, where she worked as a speechwriter for executives and supported Steve as he completed law school. After the arrival of their daughter, Mary Beth, they moved back to the East Coast where Peg truly made her mark as a mother, volunteer, friend, gardener, and constant support to her family, friends, and community.

She and her family spent many years in the Washington, DC area as Steve worked for the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. She welcomed their sons, Bryan and Brendan, and fully embraced the role of motherhood.  A longtime resident of Fort Washington, Peg was an active member of the Tantallon Garden Club, volunteered at her children’s schools and became a lifelong member of a book club that brought her some of her closest friends. After Steve was appointed as a judge with the Social Security Administration, they relocated to Allendale, NJ and then Cary, NC, where Peg continued to take joy in making new friends with shared interests in reading, philanthropy, and gardening.

In 2006, Peg and Steve retired to Sunset Beach, NC and lived their retirement to the fullest. They traveled to faraway destinations like Australia, Ireland, Turkey, and Canada, while also visiting friends, their children and grandchildren at every opportunity. Peg took no greater joy than being surrounded by her family, finding a great bargain, throwing a great St. Patrick’s Day party complete with her famous Irish coffee and Bailey’s Irish Cream brownies, and making beautiful cross-stitch gifts for those she cared for. In her later years, she took up knitting and donated hundreds of hats to babies, students and those in need of warmth and love. A longtime bridge player, she also took up mahjong in recent years with her Sea Trail friends and remained active in the Sea Trail Garden and Book Clubs.

Peg will be remembered for her love of vocabulary and her ability to do the New York Times Sunday crossword in ink every week. She took joy in writing notes to friends, making lists and spoiling her grandchildren. Peg was content with quiet moments but also easily shared her Irish wit, and she treasured the friendships she made and maintained throughout every chapter of her life.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Brendan’s Church in Shallotte, NC on Friday, September 11, 2026 at 10:00 AM. Peg will be inurned in Arlington National Cemetery alongside her beloved husband. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to SECU Life Care Hospice House in Bolivia, NC, where she was cared for in her last days.

Shared memories and condolences may be shared with the family through Brunswick Funeral Service website.