Obituary of Carmen Agatha Jones

Celebrating the Life of Carmen Agatha Jones

"Junie"

June 7, 1955 – May 2, 2026

Carmen Agatha Jones, affectionately known to all as "Junie," passed away peacefully on Saturday May 2nd, 2026 at the age of 70 following a courageous battle with cancer. She was a beacon of resilience, strength, warmth, and independence, whose spirit touched everyone who knew her.

Born in Westmoreland, Jamaica, Carmen was the youngest of nine children. She attended Petersfield Primary School in Westmoreland and Frankfield High (now Edwin Allen High School) in Clarendon. Her professional journey began at the Savanna-la-Mar Police Station in early 1974, and in December 1975, she welcomed her first child, Jermaine O’mar Brooks. She later moved to Canada in 1979 to join her two sisters Lesma and Elaine. She was a woman of incredible work ethic, often working two jobs simultaneously to provide for her children as a single mother. In 1983, she welcomed her second child, Colette Murphy (nee Jones). Her career in Canada began as a receptionist in Bells Corners, followed by a career in hospitality. In 1985, she joined the Bank of Canada, where she served with dedication for 35 years until her retirement in 2020.

Carmen’s life was defined by her quiet strength and refusal to be defined by her health challenges. Despite battling Lupus since 1992 and undergoing open-heart surgery in 1994, she remained fiercely independent. She navigated years of dialysis with determination until receiving a life-saving kidney transplant in 2002. Even when faced with cancer in 2013, she maintained a positive outlook, famously saying: "Our body is made of flesh and bone, not wood and stone; even wood breaks down at times."

Carmen was a familiar and beloved face at the Ottawa General Hospital, where she was known for her "tough cookie" attitude. Beyond her health struggles, she was an active volunteer with organizations like Jaku Konbit and found her greatest peace in the soil as a passionate gardener. She spent countless hours at the Jaku Gardens, eventually cultivating her own plots and sharing her harvest with friends and family for many years.

Above all, Carmen is a devoted family woman survived by her two children Jermaine and Colette, three granddaughters Sydnee, Callee and McKenzee, sisters Lesma and Elaine, brothers Ashley and Desmond and her extended family. She will be remembered for her strength, optimism, grace, determination, and her green thumb.

The fight to the end, her medical issues, her strengths to fight, miss her smile, her courage, the emptiness we feel without her is beyond words.

Gone from our sight, but never from our hearts

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Carmen, her favorite charity is the Kidney Foundation of Canada

For those who cannot attend the funeral service, a livestream of the service will be available at this Service Link.