Carole Widmaier Jones

Carole W. Jones, 84, a physician, veteran, and animal lover, died peacefully and painlessly in her Albuquerque home on Wednesday, March 4th, 2026.

A graduate of Ursinus College and Temple Medical School, certified in Psychiatry, Carole treated thousands of patients at Lovelace Clinic, in private practice, and with Presbyterian Medical Group.

Since moving to Albuquerque 50 years ago, Carole, along with her husband Frank, raised two sons, cared for more than a dozen dogs, square-danced, and sang in barbershop choruses. She also loved watching her beloved Philadelphia Phillies on TV, going to Lobos and Dukes games, and attending Bubonicon, the local sci-fi and fantasy convention. Following the credo of one of her favorite sci-fi characters, Carole lived long and prospered.

Carole Fay Widmaier was born June 3rd, 1941, in Trenton, NJ, to a New Jersey Bell executive and a switchboard operator. An introvert with a sneaky sense of humor, she thrived as a student of science and a player of basketball. Outnumbered but undaunted in that era's male-dominated STEM field, Carole became the first person in her family to to earn degrees in higher education.

During residency in Chicago, IL, she came down with chicken pox. A colleague visited her one day bearing soup. Within a year, she would marry him, Frank S. Jones.

In 1968, the same year as their wedding, they joined the Army and served in Vietnam. They spent six months in Long Binh and another six in Can Tho City, where their commanding officer described their crucial contribution in setting up "the finest medical treatment center in the Mekong Delta." For her service, Carole was awarded the Bronze Star.

After the birth of their two sons, Jeffrey and Gregory, Carole and Frank worked at Carle Clinic in Champaign-Urbana, IL, for three years before moving to Albuquerque, to the house she called her home for the rest of her life.

She is survived by her sons, her daughter-in-law Dawn Matheson Jones, and three grandchildren, Storm, Jory, and Hannah.

Her cremated remains will be interred next to Frank's at Santa Fe National Cemetery.

Donations in her name can be made to:

Lap Dog Rescue

https://lapdogrescue.org/donations

or

Animal Humane New Mexico

https://animalhumanenm.org/donate/

or

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary

https://wildspiritwolfsanctuary.org/donate/