More than a month after the murder of Nova Scotia woman Esther Jones, her family continues to deal with the loss.
Two days before Jones disappeared, her sister Mary Harvey spoke to her.
“I got a call on Labor Day asking if I had seen her and I thought, 'No, I talked to her on Saturday.' So I said you know what I better go to the family and see what everyone knows.
Unable to contact Jones after 48 hours, the family called police.
“She was independent, so no one hovered over her. I was, like, she was getting over our mom's death two weeks before this, did she just need a break? Harvey wondered.
It was unusual for Jones to be unreachable, but Harvey said because the circumstances were unusual, they believed Jones would return home soon.
Jones is one of 15 siblings who live in different parts of North America. Throughout this time, the family followed the information through group chats and email networks.
“It was a rollercoaster of emotions. Everyone hoped that she had decided to take a vacation. Your brain goes through the best and worst case scenarios,” said Michelle Noseworthy, Jones’ younger sister. “And because there are so many of us, our emotions were all over the place.”
The brothers' hope that Jones would return was dashed when police informed them it was a homicide.
“We're trying to manage our fears, our losses and all the emotions that carry you through a time like this, while also balancing the need to accept that she's gone and organize a memorial for her,” Harvey said as his eyes fell. filled. with tears.
Photos of Esther Jones are pictured. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)
The family has organized a celebration of life to remember Jones, but it has been difficult, especially since his remains have not yet been found.
“Sometimes I think I don’t need physical remains to move on and sometimes… It’s just an emotional rollercoaster. It’s hard,” Harvey said.
“It's definitely weird. Imagining is difficult and trying to stop thinking is challenging because your mind can go to the worst-case scenario very quickly. I’m just trying to stop worrying about things I can control,” Noseworthy said.
His brothers said Jones was struggling with the loss of his mother.
“Esther suffered much more. She blamed herself, she said, saying things like, 'I should have done a better job,' and we tried to tell her, 'No, you did everything you could.' She only had 20 days to process this before she died.”
Jones, 55, was last seen at Kingston Bible College in late August
Two months after her disappearance, rows of purple ribbons remain tied to trees on the college property. Remnants of a community-initiated memorial stand at the door.
A memorial set up for Esther Jones at Kingston Bible College in Nova Scotia. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)
“I was just looking at the outpouring of love from the community and I didn’t even know what to think of it. Esther felt like she meant nothing to anyone,” Noseworthy said. “She didn’t feel like anyone really noticed her. She had no idea of the thousands of people her life touched. She didn’t realize how important her life was to so many people.”
Her sisters describe Jones as a music and animal lover and say she had many plans for the future.
“At mother’s funeral at the graveside, I asked what was next for her. She said she's figuring it out. She was talking about going and getting her master's degree. This was something she really wanted to do. She said, 'I'm trying to figure out how to pay for this.' She was going to get her master’s degree in music,” Noseworthy said, holding back tears.
“She didn’t do anything by halves,” Harvey said, noting her sister’s determination as a young girl.
“There were so many of us and we all took turns sharing rooms, so for a while, when I was her roommate, what I remember is always practicing her instruments. She went to school early in the morning by herself and played her instruments for an hour or two every morning,” Noseworthy said. “I admired her.”
Harvey described Jones as someone who kept all his memories close to his chest and preserved everything he owned to keep it “fresh.”
“Everything was still wrapped up. She was very organized and labeled everything,” Harvey said.
The hardest part for the family was getting Jones' belongings out of his apartment.
“I know my brother even said, 'What if she still came back and we were going through her stuff?' He said it doesn't seem right, we shouldn't touch her things. That was a difficult point,” Noseworthy said.
Esther Jones' family says she loved animals. (Source: Esther Jones Family)
Touring the apartment with his siblings, Noseworthy said it gave them a chance to learn more about Jones.
“We all had a completely different relationship with her. Even now, through each other, we are learning whole new sides of who she was as a person,” she said.
Many of the brothers' memories growing up revolve around music.
“It was music that was our connection. She always encouraged me, even though she was the youngest of the girls,” Noseworthy said.
That's why the celebration of life will include his siblings playing music in his honor.
“We were privileged to be friends with our sister,” Noseworthy said.
While going through Jones' belongings, Noseworthy stumbled upon her sister's clarinet, which she decided to keep and will use to play a song with Harvey during the celebration of life.
In preparation for Jones' memorial, each of the brothers has been rehearsing.
Mary Harvey and Michelle Noseworthy rehearse for a memorial for Esther Jones. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)
For the memorial, the family digitized photos of Jones and family. As they examine them, it brings a touch of comfort to Noseworthy and Harvey. It is a moment of escape from reality, which they still struggle with.
“I've tried in the last few weeks to think of funny and happy things and I still haven't been able to. It's still difficult. They will come back because we grew up together, but it's still the sadness I'm going through most right now,” Harvey said.
The search for Jones' remains continues.
A celebration of his life takes place on Monday at 10 a.m. at Acadia University and the public is invited to attend. The family has also started a fundraiser to help support the family's trip to attend the event.
