Family and friends, we gather here on this day to honor the life of Marvin Lee Jones, a giant in the Jones family. As we bid farewell to Marvin, we would like to recognize that he was husband to Debra Kay Jones; father to Caven and Shonta, brother to Randy, Barbara and Dianna, son of Bobby and Ruthine, grandfather to eight grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. His life spanned 72 years. He was born on March 16, 1952, and peacefully passed away on December 20, 2024.

Let us remember that his energy cannot be created or destroyed, it merely changes form. His energy, his love, his wisdom, and his very being does not cease to exist, it just transforms and continues through each of us.

We bid farewell to this remarkable man. Let us not mourn what we have lost but celebrate what he gave us. His legacy will inspire generations. We can truly celebrate the profound impact he had in each of our lives. He truly left this world a better place than he found it. Let’s not cry that he is not here, let us smile because he was here. He may not have changed the world in any newsworthy way, but he certainly changed our world. A life well lived is a life filled with kindness, integrity, and an unwavering love for family. That integrity was always doing the right thing, even when no one was watching. He was not perfect, but he never tried to be. What he was, was a mentor, a guide, and a source of inspiration and knowledge to each of us. He showed us that success is not what you achieve but how you live your life. By that measure he was a great man. We now know not to take life so seriously.

Mistakes are just an opportunity to laugh, learn and try again. His shop was his sanctuary. He certainly had the gift of making the ordinary into the extraordinary. There he would build a multitude of things like picture frames, birdhouses, BBQ grills, trailers, etc. If you needed help with any project, he certainly knew how to help. He had the uncanny ability to find joy in mundane chores and making them better for everyone involved.

He mentioned that he had a good run and had lived a good life. We all knew that he did. We made sure that he knew that he would remain with us forever, for the best stories ever to the lessons learned from him by all of us. He certainly impacted our lives in ways that we see every day; if only by the way we conduct ourselves. We are forever grateful for the opportunity to be loved by Marvin and go along the journey that we are so fortunate to be on in this life. We will be forever grateful for you and will miss you always. Although we are sad to see Marvin go, we also know that we are privileged to have shared our lives with this man. He taught us so many things that we will pass on to generations to come. His journey truly is an inspiration to our family and all others whose lives that he touched. Marvin will rest in our hearts forever. We miss you and always will.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Marvin’s life on Saturday, December 28, 2024, beginning at 1:00 pm in Greenlawn Funeral Home, North. A visitation will take place on Friday, December 27, 2024, from 5:00-7:00 pm also in the funeral home. Martin will be laid to rest in Bass Chapel Cemetery near Fair Grove, Missouri.

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