Kibbee Luther Jones

It is with heavy hearts that we announce Kibbee Luther Jones of Black Canyon City, Arizona, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, passed away in the arms of his beloved wife at home on December 30, 2024, at the age of 90 years young.

Kibbee was born on August 15, 1934 in Oakwood, Oklahoma, the son of Charles Perry Tupper Jones and Bertha Glennace (Fansler) Jones where he was delivered by a midwife in his first home which was a dugout on the banks of the Big Sandy River with no running water, no electricity, no toilet, no windows and only one small hole in the cliffs over the Big Sandy.

He was preceded in death by his parents Charles Perry Tupper Jones(May 31,2000) and Bertha Glennace Fansler Jones (March 15, 2014), sister Lora Lea Washburn (April 19, 1967), and nephews Charlie Washburn, Lonnie Buchta and Mitchell Jones. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Venora Jones, his sons, Eric Scott Jones of Salome, AZ., Michael Jones (Sherri) of Peoria, AZ., children through a beautiful, blended family, Elissa Fontaine (Leon) of Glendale, AZ., Jimmy Pollard (Danielle) of Peoria, AZ., Glenn Pollard (Robin) of Mesa, AZ., his brother Tupper Jones (Elaine) of Black Canyon City, AZ, his sister Dorla Jones Buchta (Cecil) of Wenden, AZ., his beloved grandchildren, Nathan Jones, Andrew Jones, Brooke Stacy (CJ), Kristina Chrisman (Brandon), Deanna Acuna (Ysidro), Desmin Fontaine, Deondre Fontaine, Donavin Fontaine, Bryce Pollard, Blake Pollard, Brock Pollard, Brooklyn Pollard, Jenna Pollard and his cherished great- grandchildren, Noah Schwartz, Briley Schwartz, Mason Acuna, Sienna Acuna, Cory Stacy and Chandler Stacy and multiple nieces, nephew and cousins.

At the age of five in 1939, his family moved to Boise, Idaho in an old truck and his dad only having $10.00 in his wallet, but there was work in the potato fields. The following year in 1940 they moved to Northern Idaho where his dad found work in a sawmill. The family remained in Grangemont, Idaho where Kibbee attended school in a one-room schoolhouse. Once Kibbee was starting seventh grade, the family moved to Elk River, Idaho, a small logging town consisting of board sidewalks, six taverns, one butcher shop, one grocery store, one drug store, one church and one post office.

At 14 years old, Kibbee went to work for the Forest Service and at 18 started working in the logging woods, scaling logs, setting chokers on a skidding cat, and sawing logs with some of the first chain saws to come out.

Kibbee attended Elk River High School in Idaho where he graduated in 1952. While in high school he was the student body president and received a leadership award. His smile would light up a room when he would talk about all the wonderful memories, he had including how he got the taste for business while working in his dad's service station.

He had loved working in the woods cutting logs and for two years he was a guide for many from California who wanted to hunt Elk, Deer, and fish for Trout. He loved picking wild huckleberries and vegetables and strawberries out of the family garden. This along with a freezer full of deer and elk is what they mostly ate.

He would laugh when he talked about foolish things he did while in Elk River that included getting turned around and separated while hunting with friends and having to stay the night in the forest during a winter snow. He was able to build a fire and woke up in the morning with a belt burnt in half and burning back end from falling asleep too close to the fire. He built a wood boat by himself and took out on the river with a couple of friends where they found out quickly mother nature was stronger than anticipated. The boys were able to reach a tree to help them get out or they would have drowned. He loved that his parents never said a word after they found out because they knew what he went through was punishment enough.

At age 24, Kibbee moved to Wenden, Arizona where he and his dad went into business together for a year. The following year, his uncle built a store known as Kibbee’s Shopping Center in Wenden, AZ. He took immense pride in how hard he worked to make it a success and then retired in 1996 when he moved to Black Canyon City.

Kibbee loved his two sons dearly and took pride in guiding them to be fine men, was always available to provide advice, and always looked forward to having an individual call with each of them weekly. He wanted to thank his brother, Tupper for being there for him in his later years, loved going to breakfast at Denny's with him as often as possible and for the fine, good brother he was to him. He loved our blended family, and how grateful he was for the additional love he received because of it. He dealt with poor health for majority of his adult life, but all family members were the most important to him and he wished he could have done more with his grandkids than he had been able.

His first vehicle was a jeep and until the day he left us, the jeep was always his favorite vehicle. Kibbee loved to fish, especially deep-sea fishing, hunting elk (but not after 30 years old), water skiing, loved traveling, working and growing fresh vegetables in his garden, loved working in his shop where he created so many beautiful items and prioritized his creations based on his wife’s dreams, and hand built her a white picket fence, wood bridge, Christmas Manger and so many other treasured items. He put perfection and love into everything he did.

Kibbee requested that all his loved ones know that he had a wonderful life, loved life, that life is about challenges, but that we are all so blessed to be Americans. His last wish is for our great country to always be Free for all his loved ones left behind and for all future generations.

Later in life he loved to talk about his childhood, tell stories, make jokes, and pull a few pranks. He had a laughter that came straight from the heart, would light up a room and make you laugh. No matter how much he was suffering, he always smiled on the outside and his beloved wife loved hearing him sing and whistle daily for her that helped him cope with his pain and brighten her days.

A graveside service will be held on February 15, 2025, beginning at 11:00 AM, and will be held at Wenden Cemetery. To reach the cemetery, drive East of Wenden on US Hwy 60 (the main street in Wenden) and turn South on Wenden Hillside Drive (A dirt road) and proceed several hundred yards to the cemetery.

Following the service there will be a reception held at Wenden Elementary School Gymnasium, 71001 E. Santa Fe Avenue, Wenden, AZ. 85357. As we gather to honor his memory, we invite all who knew him to join us in sharing stories of his kindness, wisdom, sense of humor and compassion.