Bonnie J. "Bunnie" Jones

Bonnie Jean Jones, known all her life as, Bunnie or Grandbuns to her grandchildren, passed away, on March 28, 2016. She was born on April 9, 1921 to Paul and Luteen Pearson Watts. Bunnie grew up in several communities around Kiowa County, Oklahoma.

When Bunnie was six, her sister, Mary Virginia passed away and two years later her father passed away from pneumonia. This left her mother Luteen, who had never worked outside the home, along with their children, 8 year old Bunnie, 12 year old Buzzie and 15 year old Gerald, facing the Dust Bowl during The Depression. Bunnie was 15 when the family moved to Oklahoma City where she completed high school.

She attended Oklahoma Baptist University where she studied music and met her life-long partner Raymond. Raymond graduated OBU as WWII was starting; he and Bunnie married at First Baptist Church in San Jose, CA on November 8, 1943. After the war they moved to Ft. Worth where Raymond studied at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their first two children were born, Durry (Raymond Jr.) in 1948 and David in 1953. Bunnie and Raymond’s first churches were in Gainesville, TX and Chickasha, OK before moving on to San Diego First Baptist. In 1957 Raymond and Bunnie moved to Chicago, IL to North Shore Baptist Church; a couple of years later their daughter, Melodie Gaye was born. The family moved again to St. Louis and Third Baptist Church a year later.

Bunnie and Raymond’s last church was First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City in 1964. When Raymond went for his Doctorate in music at the University of Iowa in 1968, they moved to Iowa City where they lived until 1973. The family moved to Glenville, West Virginia where Raymond was on the faculty at Glenville State and where Bunnie discovered her true calling, beginning as an EMT and progressing to Paramedic.

After they retired, Bunnie and Raymond traveled the country in their beloved RV, decked out in stuffed rabbits and pictures of children and grandchildren.

Bunnie met some missionaries when she was a teenager at Falls Creek and it was something she always she aspired to do. She got her chance when she was 77 and took her first medical mission trip to Kenya. She continued on her medical missions until she turned 86, having served in Kyrgystan and three times in Romania.

In 1991 they came to Houston to welcome their second grandson, Dylan Negri and made Stafford their home base. Raymond passed away in 1996 on their wedding anniversary and Bunnie made her permanent home with her daughter and grandson in Stafford, Texas. She was a long-time member of Sugar Creek Baptist Church.

Bunnie is proceeded in death by her parents, brothers, sisters and husband.

She is survived by her children, Durry of CA, David of IL, and Melodie; grandsons, Clay Jones of NYC, Dylan Negri of Stafford, Alexander Jones of Hawaii and Benjamin Jones of Carrolton GA and by Robert Schabilion and Richard Schabilion; nephews, Kevin Watts and Phillip Watts; nieces, Lori Malmgren and Terry Whiddon; and by many other nieces and nephews and their children.

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 2, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. in The Morrow Chapel at The Settegast-Kopf Company Funeral Directors in Sugar Land, Texas.