Sarah, a former nurse, and her husband William Jones, an aeronautical engineer, spent their lives helping others. Now, their legacy of caring for their community lives on even after death.
When Sarah died in December 2018, she left a $100,000 estate gift to fund a Calgary Transit Access (CTA) shuttle. But due to COVID-19 and manufacturing delays interrupting delivery, the shuttle didn’t begin operating until August 2024.
For almost a year, the shuttle has helped Calgarians with disabilities get to where they needed to be, and on May 12, the CTA held a ceremony at Canyon Meadows Golf Course to dedicate the vehicle to Sarah and William.
In the early 1960s, Sarah and William immigrated separately to Calgary from Wales. A few years later, they met when attending the Calgary Welsh Society. After going home to Wales to get married in 1971, Sarah and William returned to Calgary and found leisure in being some of the very first members of the Canyon Meadows Golf Course.
Despite never having children of their own, the pair found family in that of their siblings. Her niece, Gail Evans, attended the ceremony and said that Sarah’s caring personality came from her 40-year-long nursing and midwifery career.
“She helped with the delivering and caring of hundred of mothers and babies,” said Evans.
“When they had no children, they realized they wanted to give something back to the community.”
When William passed away, Evans said that Sarah initiated several community efforts through their local church. She said that Sarah began thinking of ways she could better the lives of the older people not just in her neighbourhood, but city-wide.
“Because of their connection to the medical field, they wanted to do something to support the medical needs of Calgarians, particularly the more senior Calgarians who are the ones who tend to use the handy buses,” said Evans.
Manager of service delivery at Calgary Transit, Mark van der Leest, said that CTA received the gift during a period of global instability when accessibility services were needed more than ever.
“The donation came at a time when the world was filled with uncertainty for all of us,” he said.
“The Jones family gift helped us improve service for thousands of Calgarians who face mobility challenges and ensures that they can continue to access essential services while staying connected to their communities.”
With the addition of the Jones shuttle, van der Leest said that the total number of CTA vehicles has grown to 85. He said that the bus isn’t just a bus, but a reminder of Sarah and William’s compassion.
“Legacy gifts like this one don’t just support transit operations,” said van der Leest.
“They uplift the lives of the people who use it.”
