Milaine Jones McGoldrick

Milaine Jones Mc Goldrick, 94, passed away on Thursday, July 31, 2014 in Sandpoint, Idaho. Born and raised in Spokane Washington, Milaine Jones Mc Goldrick was a person of many accomplishments. Blessed with a spirited and independent nature she was in many ways a woman ahead of her time. From navigating the skies as a private pilot to parenting and community service, Milaine did everything with her own personal élan and style. Along with her three sisters, Betty May, Patsy, and Gloria, they were known as the “Jones Girls”, the four beautiful daughters of W. Scott and Edith Kemp Jones. The Jones girls had their fair share of experience with horses due to their grandfather’s (Arthur D. Jones) interest in growing wheat and real estate holdings in the Liberty Lake area. In 1940, Milaine was chosen Queen of the Spokane Stampede, but her grand entry was somewhat marred by a loose cinch and her ending up on the underside of the horse as she galloped into the ring. While a junior at the University of Washington she abandoned horses and took to the skies completing her solo flight and going on to earn her pilot’s license. Her flight instructor, Roland Lamb, said she was a natural and she was admitted to the Association of Women’s Pilots of America. She also made her first and last parachute jump after conspiring with her sister Patsy to forge a letter from her father granting permission. She decided once was enough after landing on a barbed wire fence. In September of that same year she married another aviation enthusiast and pilot, Jimmy Mc Goldrick (James Patrick II). She and Jim were married for 72 years in spite of occasional riffs as to who was pilot and who was co-pilot. (Milaine would always say, however, that Jim was the Captain). After marriage and the birth of her two daughters Molly and Mikki, Milaine entered into the rigors of raising a family and serving the community on a wider basis. She had always been an animal lover and was one of the original board members of the Spokane Humane Society. At times she was known to take matters into her own hands when it came to animal rescue. On one occasion she threw a coke bottle at a man’s head when he was mistreating a horse (the horse later died of injuries inflicted). She also spoke of climbing over a chain link fence at night with another board member and rescuing five starving and mistreated dogs by lifting them back over the fence and transporting them to a more supportive environment. Family legends include Milaine’s adoption of a female lion cub the Calgary Zoo was trying to find a home for. She raised it until it grew to full size and the neighbors with children expressed concern. Apparently the roaring that was heard over the deck at night was less than comforting. Through the years Milaine became more fascinated with wild animals in their natural environment and at eighty -two years of age she traveled to Rwanda and hiked in with a guide to view the silver back gorillas. Milaine also served and held different offices (including President) in the Junior League and served regularly on the Bloodmobile, was on the United Crusade board, the Tuberculosis League, and Cancer Foundation. Her good looks and style made her a highly sought after model and she appeared in numerous style shows and fund raising events in the 1940’s and 50’s. She was still volunteering well into her 80’s serving as an aid to the Spokane Police Department. She liked to stay involved and would probably also admit, the uniform had a particular attraction. Milaine’s passion for adventure and travel took her to many points on the globe, but it was her love of the lake that was a sustaining force. For many who grow up in Spokane the phrase “going to the lake” is of spiritual significance. Her heart and soul were deeply entrenched in the Coeur d’ Alene and Pend Oreille experiences. Her connection ran deep, tapping more than parties and summer fun. Her commitment was to the land and the value of claiming and knowing a place intimately, a place where you feel nourished and in turn, you look after the land. And it was on Lake Pend Oreille and Sandpoint, Idaho where she spent her last days after passing away due to a stroke. In her own words to her daughter Molly, “one minute you’re just picking raspberries and then...” Donations in Milaine’s memory can be made to the Spokane Humane Society, Lifetime Friends Friends Animal Sanctuary PO Box 54, Careywood, ID 83809 or an animal shelter of your choice.