Verla A. Jones' Obituary
Verla Jones of Wild Rose, 103, passed away on November 8, 2025 in Waupaca, Wisconsin. She was born on February 15, 1922 in the Town of Menasha, Wisconsin to Norman T. Collins and Zella A. (Thomas) Collins. Verla graduated from Neenah high school and worked for Kimberly Clark for decades. She and her first husband, Hugh Van Airsdale, raised four children in Neenah, while also developing a tree farm, named The Tara-Lori on Long Lake near Saxeville. The farm paid for college for the children and became Verla’s permanent home after Hugh passed away in 1983. She later married Robert Jones of Wild Rose.
Verla was born and raised in the United Methodist Church, becoming very active in the Wild Rose church. Her other passion was the ThedaCare Medical Center–Wild Rose Volunteers (TCWR Volunteers), where she was the oldest active volunteer right up until this fall. She was very proud of her independence…still driving to her own appointments, errands, church, and Wednesday breakfasts with the girls right up til late this summer. Life at “the cottage” on Long Lake was filled with the antics of all the wildlife who came into her view on a daily basis: deer, fox, birds, turkeys and squirrels. Verla also loved to play cards with her daughters and other relatives on a regular basis. When she wasn’t busy with wildlife, cards and company; Verla kept busy knitting umpteen afghans for her children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, as well as making recycled greeting cards over the years. These will be greatly missed by many.
She is survived by her children: Peter (Donna), Tara (Peter) Schipferling, Lori (Roger) Miller, Jann Van Airsdale, daughter-in-law; and Verla’s sister Dorthy Riley. Verla is also survived by her Jones children: Jeffrey (Karen), Harriet (Charles) Jones, Hugh (Jane), Polly (Randall) Bigler, and Barbara (Edwin) Rusch. Her expanded family combined has 19 grandchildren (plus many spouses and significant others) and 27 great-grandchildren. She is further survived by countless relatives and friends. In addition to both her husbands, Verla was preceded in death by one son, Scot Van Airsdale. They, along with many, many loved ones, have welcomed her home.
Celebration of Her Life will be on Thursday, November 20 at 11 a.m. at the Wild Rose United Methodist Church, 225 Summit Street. Visitation will be on Thursday at the church from 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial at the Saxeville Union Cemetery.
As a tribute to Verla’s passion for church and volunteerism, please consider a donation in her name to either the Wild Rose United Methodist Church, PO Box 176, Wild Rose, WI 54984 or TCWR Volunteers Scholarship, 601 Grove Ave., Wild Rose, WI 54984.
The family wishes to send a special thank you to her care team: Dr. Ellen Wenberg, ThedaCare Hospice, and most especially the entire staff of Hickory Heights Rehabilitation at Bethany, Waupaca. What started out as rehab and transitioned into hospice with the same familiar faces for Verla…with the utmost compassion and dignity given to her to the very end.
“Through all of this, I feel so blessed, my children, grandchildren, a dear sister, all the Van Airsdale family and all of the Jones family make me feel as though life has been really good.” –written by Verla Jan. 2, 2007
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