Eleanor Edith Jones was born November 10, 1921, in Cornell, Wisconsin. Born to musical parents, Eleanor was surrounded by music in her early life before becoming an accomplished trombone, violin, and piano player. In 1943 Eleanor received a letter from the Navy, which she promptly threw in the garbage. Shortly after, however, she retrieved the letter and found the Marine Corps was looking to organize a Women’s Band. The Marine Corps Women’s Reserve Band (MCWR) was formed under “The President’s Own” and was active from 1943-1945. Jones enlisted as a marine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and underwent basic training. She was a trombonist with the band and toured throughout the country, raising money for the war effort and playing for wounded soldiers.

At the end of the war, the MCWR was disbanded. However, with the end of the war, Hormel Foods was in need of people to help promote their food, and so the company created The Hormel Girls. The group was made mostly of female veterans who had played in the military bands during the war. From 1946 to 1953, the women travelled throughout the country marketing Hormel products, such as SPAM, to the American public.

When The Hormel Girls was disbanded, Jones went back to school, this time for writing. In the years since receiving her degree, she has written for radio and television, taught writing at the college level, and worked as a media specialist for the University of Wisconsin – Extension. She lived in the city of Eau Claire from the 1950s until her death in April 2023.