Diane Veale Jones

May 22, 1947 - June 6, 2025

Diane was born in Berkeley and died at home in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. She was a loving mom, grandmother, teacher, bread baker, gardener, and wanna-be singer - alas, only in the garden! And even as her MS progressed, she loved being with all of her friends in the cold-water pool early in the morning at the YMCA.

Diane's early professional life in Saint Cloud was varied. She began as the dietitian at the Saint Cloud Reformatory (now Minnesota Correctional Facility) where she learned about good fishing spots from the cooks and guards. She also taught at the Saint Cloud Hospital School of Nursing, but most of her work was as a dietitian with WIC, Head Start, and the Child and Adult Care programs. In that role she responded to a plea from child-care providers for appealing nutritionally sound ideas with Recipes to Grow On in 1984.

Eventually, she joined the Nutrition faculty at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University where her primary focus was on food and culture. In addition to teaching, she was Department Chair and played a significant role within the American Dietetic Association. She also responded to growing diversity by writing Ethnic Foodways in Minnesota:  A Handbook of Food and Wellness Across Cultures in 1996 to help health professionals be more culturally aware in their interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.

After more than 20 years in the Nutrition Department, she shifted her "home" to the new Environmental Studies program at CSB/SJU, emphasizing her enduring interest in cultural food practices, gender, sustainability, and world hunger. She was also active in promoting farm to school initiatives and locally grown foods. She retired as Professor Emeritus in Environmental Studies in 2016.

Diane received her degrees from San Jose State University and Cornell University, where she did pioneering work on lactose intolerance.

She is survived by her husband of 56 years, Kenneth Jones '65, who was her high school sweetheart. Diane was preceded in death by her parents, Don and Doris Veale, and brother Dennis Veale '66. She will be dearly missed by her husband Ken, daughter Natasha (Chris), son Trevor (Kate), and four grandchildren. Diane and her family are deeply grateful to everyone who helped support us and ease Diane's transition at the end of her life. Diane wanted her death to be an opportunity to reflect on the joys of life rather than a time of sorrow.

Ken Jones '65