Griffith Jones had been married previously to another Welsh lady and they had five children. He lost his first wife and all five children in a ferry accident. I'm not sure if this was in Wales or the United States. We picture it as being in the United States, but we are not sure.
Griffith married Catherine Hughes in Wales and they soon came to San Diego where they settled and had their family. Griffith Hughes Jones was a carpenter by trade. They lived in several locations in the county before moving to Coronado. Gwladys mentioned having lived in Lakeside at one time and swimming in the river there. We have a favorite family picture of them in front of the house they lived in when they were in Sherman Heights.
Gwladys' father died when she was a young teenager, maybe when she was thirteen years old. It was probably around her birthday when he died and it was a very difficult time for young Gwladys and her family. They had to tighten their belts and all pitch in to survive. Their mother worked hard to keep her little ones fed. She probably did laundry for other people and maybe she had to clean houses too. That is how many people survived in those days. I know that my own mother did these jobs when she was younger.
Gwladys' sister was Kathryn and was next to her in age. Then came Llewellyn who was known as Louie. The next brother was Ellis and the youngest was Ivor. My father knew some of them when he was growing up in Coronado. Louie was a good friend of my father.
My husband's father Paul also lived in Coronado as a boy in grade school so he probably knew some of the Jones family then. Paul Marvin and Gwladys may have met in high school or even sooner. Coronado was an even smaller town in those days so they were more likely to know each other sooner than not. They both graduated from Coronado High School. They were in their early twenties when they fell in love and married.
Gwladys and Paul became the parents of little Paul William Marvin, Jr. on October 26, 1933. They called him Billy. The next baby was also a son, Charles Ellis Marvin, born May 10, 1935. Young Paul, or Billy, was golden haired, a light red, and fair with freckles. Uncle Ivor had the same red hair and complexion. This was a family trait from the Welsh side. Charlie had the same dark hair and handsome looks as his parents. Both were beautiful children.
It would seem that the family was complete but there would be more babies. Gwladys and Paul had three more babies, one boy and two little girls. They each had heart problems and did not live past infancy. This was a very sad thing for this little family, especially Gwladys. Joseph Ivor, Mary Lou and Mary Ann were their names.
Paul Sr. was in the Navy when the boys were born. Then he went back into the Navy as a 'Sea Bee' during World War II. This is the Construction Battalion of the Navy. He was gone a long time during the war. Gwladys kept the home fires burning as the saying goes. She even helped to construct their first little house on their property in Coronado while he was away.
They had bought property on Pomona Avenue for what is now the unbelievable price of five hundred dollars. This piece of property was large and they would eventually build two houses on it. They built the main house on their lot when the boys were teenagers. The house was quite new when I first knew them when I was sixteen. Paul always says that he helped build the house. I'm sure that Paul Sr. made sure the boys did what needed to be done such as help with the roofing.
Gwladys loved animals and they always had at least one pet. There was always a dog in the picture. I remember the two rabbits they had when I first knew them. Gwladys had a parakeet that she taught to talk and to sing 'Take me out to the ball game'. Yes, she enjoyed baseball too. She also enjoyed watching the birds that spent time in the trees in her yard. This was probably the beginning of my husband's great interest in birds.
Paul and Gwladys were still in love with each other as long as I knew them. She got breast cancer and since she was a Christian Scientist she did not get proper medical care. She suffered in silence for a long time. Paul Sr. kept care of her the best he could. She eventually went to a place run by her church that was similar to hospice.
Let me back track a little. Paul (Bill) and Charlie were sent to the Christian Science Sunday school as children. When Paul was a teenager he chose to go to a different church and he also accepted the Lord. Charlie stopped going to any church or Sunday school. Paul and I were married in the Methodist Church. We eventually joined the Baptist Church and took our children there. After a number of years when Paul Sr. was around 56 years old he accepted the Lord and joined the church we went to. So he loved the Lord and served Him. Around that time Gwladys decided to go to the Christian Science Church.
Gwladys had gone to the doctor in years past but when she took her religion seriously she stopped going to doctors. This is the background for her early death at the age of sixty. She died on her sixtieth birthday, December 21, 1971. Paul Sr. said that he led her to the Lord before she died. We did not know this at first but were blessed to find this out at a later date. I am hoping to see my dear mother-in-law Gwladys Mary Jones Marvin again someday when I get to heaven.
Gwladys was survived by her dear husband Paul Sr., her two sons Paul William and Charles; her grandchildren Kathleen, Laura, Paul William III, Griffith, Eric, Carrie and Deron; and her sister and brothers. It has been many years now since that sad day in 1971 so my generation is the older generation now. Paul Sr. and his generation have all gone before us.
I remember when I realized it was my turn to begin roasting the turkey and preparing the family feast on Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was so nice to have had our mothers to prepare these delicious meals, but my time had come. So I had to learn to make the dressing and ready the turkey for the generations. It became a fun challenge and I had good examples to follow. We still had some of the older generation with us then and our home was filled with four generations at one period of time. Good memories.
