Gary Darwin Jones

Gary Jones left this earth to be with our Lord on August 28, 2020 at the University of Kansas Hospital due to complications from a short battle with cancer. He was a loyal and caring husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

He leaves behind his wife of 53 years, Edith; 2 children, Lori (Barham), her husband, Glen, and Damian, his wife Mari; 5 grandchildren, Dakota, Olivia, Maddy Barham, Victoria and Jeffrey Jones; and 3 great-grandchildren, Dinah, Jean-Luc, and Leo Barham.

Gary was born in Maryville, MO on July 5, 1940 to Victor and LaVonne Jones. Gary was an only child and overcame many obstacles in his life during his 80 years. He was premature at ~ 7 months old. He survived a fall and serious head injury at age 3. He had 2 heart bypass surgeries, one in ~ 1980’s and one later in the 1990’s. He took good care of himself after his heart surgeries, including counting out serving sizes of food and walking at least 2 miles every other day (rain, sleet, or snow). He carried a walking stick to ward off vicious (or not so vicious) dogs and also brought home a number of items (tools, bungee cords, money, etc.) that he found along his route over the years.

Gary was fiercely proud of his military service to our country in the United States Army. He had a strong work ethic and worked as a lumber salesman for many years and could identify any piece of wood scrap presented to him. He worked briefly for KDOT and retired from the medical records department at the University of Kansas Hospital. He appreciated our democracy and after retirement he was a poll worker at the local voting station. His goal was to live to his 80 birthday, which he achieved. He was a faithful Catholic and was not happy that he could not attend mass due to the pandemic. He watched mass and the rosary daily on TV in lieu of attending in person. He had a whimsical side and liked to tell jokes, especially to his doctors and dentist.