Ada Ann Brown Jones died peacefully on October 29, 2023.

The tale of Ada Ann (Brown) Jones is not reducible to a few lines in an obituary column. For those who knew her, it will be clear this is a scratch on the surface of the woman who was born in Humansville, Missouri in 1942 to Howard Elmo and Marion Perilee (Ball) Brown. Her elder sister Mary Ellen (Brown) Kennon is the remaining member of the six-person family that also included Ada’s older brother Bill Brown and youngest Jerry Brown. After graduating from Central High School, Ada felt a call to head West and spent a summer working in Colorado. Missouri called her back, and she would take classes in floral arranging and become the first employee at Linda’s Flowers in Springfield, MO.

The following year in November of 1960 she began her family era by marrying Larry George Jones (1941-2002). They would have three children Tim (1961-2022), Craig, and Jennifer. Her devotion to her children and husband were unwavering. During this era, Ada enjoyed camping and boating, continued working in the floral business, and attended church at Grant Avenue Baptist. During the empty nesting era of her life, she and Larry built a home on acreage in Dallas County where she enjoyed gardening and built a Koi pond large enough to see from space. This home was a place she enjoyed family gatherings where her grandchildren Patrick and Jeremy (Tim’s children) and Leland, Emily and Rebecca (Craig’s children) could run and play or help dig out the pond. She became a Master gardener and spent her days cultivating flowers around her new home. Her life took a different shape as Larry, her husband of 42 years, died suddenly.

Ada’s next era was spent with Jennifer, her daughters Ellie and Cora and former husband Kris. Selling her home in Dallas county, she moved to Virginia where she enjoyed a new way of life. She made many friends at the local Senior Center, traveled extensively, went dancing regularly, and led a group that made toys for children at the local hospital. During the pandemic, Ada chose to return to Springfield to reconnect with her lifelong friends from Central Christian and Grant Avenue churches as well as many new friends she made at Doling’s Northview Senior Center.

Throughout all these seasons of life, you could be sure that Ada had a crochet project nearby and loved teaching her grandchildren and great grandchildren the craft. She never stopped cultivating flowers and love of family and friends. The Ball Family Reunion was an event that she very rarely missed and always looked forward to each Memorial Day weekend. She will be greatly missed.

She is survived by: sister Mary Ellen Kennon and her husband Kenneth; a sister in law Colleen Brown (Jerry Brown’s wife); son Craig Jones and his wife Gratziana Jones, his children; Leland Jones, Emily Jones and Rebecca (Jones) Roberts; daughter Jennifer Jones-Wiley and her children Ellie and Cora Wiley; grandson’s Patrick and Jeremy Jones (Tim’s children); and several great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at Greenlawn North 3506 N. National Springfield, Missouri Saturday November 18^th 1:00 PM in the Small chapel. Family and friends are invited to attend in person or join via Teams video by emailing craig@chelevator.com

Graveside family interment of her ashes will be November 20^th 1:00 PM at Hazelwood Cemetery 1642 E Seminole St Springfield, Missouri F West & 17^th on the Far Southwest side of the cemetery where her husband Larry is also buried.