Jones, Lamar S. 1922-2003

JONES, ELLIOTT

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 3/17/2009 at 20:24:41

SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa -- Lamar S. Jones, 81, of Spirit Lake died Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003, at a Sioux City hospital following a brief illness with cancer.

Memorial services will be 4 p.m. Sunday at Good News Community Church in Okoboji, Iowa, with the Rev. Mark Schwarz officiating. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City. Prayer services and family visitation will be 7 p.m. today at Hinton United Methodist Church in Hinton, Iowa, with the Rev. Jason Gutzmer officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel in Sioux City.

Lamar was born May 19, 1922, in Hinton and graduated from Hinton High School and Morningside College in Sioux City. He served during World War II as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, 8th Air Force 459th Bomb Group. He piloted B-24 bombers based in Italy and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Oak Leaf Clusters.

He owned The Jones Food Center in Hinton, the Hinton Telephone Company and organized the Marrland Heights development south of Hinton. He owned and managed nursing homes in Arlington, S.D., and Sioux City, and worked as a sales manager with Citation Homes in Spirit Lake.

He had been active in community groups and churches. He helped organize the Hinton Civic Club, chaired the building committee of the Hinton United Methodist Church building project and helped organize Good News Community Church in Okoboji.

He was active in scouting in Hinton and the area, receiving the Silver Beaver Award for service. His three sons all became Eagle Scouts. Members of the Air Explorer Squadron, which he led in Hinton, rebuilt an Aeronca Champ aircraft and earned their pilot licenses' as published in Boys Life magazine.

In his retirement he helped his daughter, Jacqueline, lead her fourth-grade classes in Spirit Lake School to achieve 100 percent in spelling for 15 years. Through his motto of "Whether you believe you can do something or not, you are right," he has helped spread success building techniques in several grade school classes throughout Iowa.

He married Ruth Elliott of Sioux City on May 27, 1944. The couple and their four children lived in Hinton until 1975, when they moved to Spirit Lake. Ruth has worked actively with Lamar in his businesses and was a real estate agent with Blaine Hoine Agency in Spirit Lake.

He is survived by his sister, Cleo Sipma of Hinton; his sister, Elaine and her husband, Don Oxenford, of Marion, Iowa; and a sister-in-law, Myrna Jones of Le Mars, Iowa. He is also survived by his wife, Ruth Jones; his son, Gary Jones and his wife, Judy, of Dakota Dunes, S.D., his son, Lamar Jones Jr. and his wife, Vickie, of Omaha; his daughter, Jacqueline and her husband, Richard Kelley, of Ruthven, Iowa; and his son, Jeffrey Jones and his wife, Sherri, of Enid, Okla. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren, Michelle Eads, Cheryl Weinberger, Matthew, Rebecca, Sydni, Alex and Bayli Jones, Katie Meyer, Duncan Kelley, and Ryan, Jon and Justin Connealy; and five great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his father, Stewart Jones; his mother, Violet Jones; and a brother, Francis Jones.

Memorials may be directed to Hinton United Methodist Church, Spirit Lake United Methodist Church or Good News Community Church.

~Source: The Sioux City Journal; part of the Darrell E. Obituary Collection