James Kendall Jones, age 97, of McKinney, TX went home to spend eternity with his Lord and Savior at 12:20 PM on January 22, 2022 from dementia. James Kendall was born on October 17, 1924 near Dyer, Tennessee to the late Elihue Marvin Jones and Georgia Anna Raines Jones. He is preceded in death by his parents, 4 brothers, Kirby, Floyd, Vance and Thoyce and 4 sisters, Bessie, Relma, Verna Maye and Violet. The aforementioned Kirby, Thoyce and Relma all died as very young children before James Kendall was born. He is also preceded in death by his loving and faithful wife, Martha Frances Gooch Jones, of whom he was married to for exactly 67 years and 4 months. James Kendall was the youngest of 9 children (maybe 10). He is survived by his son Richard Jones of McKinney, TX, 1 nephew, Rodney Puckett of Houston, TX, 5 nieces via marriage (Ann Jones of Birmingham, AL, Katherine Jones of Memphis, Tn, Carolyn Hedges of Cartersville, GA, Kay Gooch of Jackson, Tn and Janie Tanner of Fairfield Bay, Arkansas) plus numerous great nephews and great nieces in Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Texas, Georgia and the Northeast. After the 11th grade, James Kendall joined the Army in May 1943 to participate in World War II. After extensive Army training in Texas and Louisiana, James Kendall landed (as a member of the 8th Armored Division (The Thundering Herd)) in Le Havre, France in very late December 1944. During Winter and early Spring 1945, James Kendall earned 3 bronze stars for his service in the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe. To support the post war effort, James Kendall remained in Europe until February 1946. He then passed a GED exam and proceeded to receive a BA in Psychology from Michigan State University in 1950. In the late Summer or early Fall of 1950, James Kendall met the love of his life, Martha Frances Gooch in Selmer, Tn where he was working as a social worker. He soon moved from Selmer back to his hometown of Dyer, TN and then on to Memphis, TN all the while commuting to Selmer every weekend to date Martha. Martha and James Kendall were married in Selmer on October 11, 1953. After a honeymoon in the Great Smoky Mountains, the newlywed couple settled in Memphis, Tennessee. During the 1950s, James Kendall worked as/for an industrial engineer in Milan, Tn, Britling Cafeteria near downtown Memphis and 2 small insurance companies in Midtown Memphis. After 3-4 years of night school, he received a Law degree from Southern Law (now a part of the University of Memphis Law School) in 1961. In June 1961, James Kendall and Martha welcomed their firstborn and only child Richard Jones into their world at 4780 Hummingbird Lane in East Memphis. In the Fall of 1961, James Kendall joined General Accident Insurance where he spent the next 22 years working as a Claims Manager. During this period of time, James Kendall, Martha and Richard lived first in Germantown, TN and then Piperton, Tn. James concluded his career at Walter Gray Insurance in Memphis in Spring 1987. James Kendall and Martha then moved to Port Charlotte, Florida in 1987 where they spent the vast majority of their retirement years until moving for a brief period to Huntsville, AL and then on to McKinney, TX. In his younger years, James Kendall enjoyed traveling around the country in a travel trailer with his wife and son to various locations as Florida, Colorado, California and Western Canada. During his time in Memphis and Port Charlotte, Fl, he was a member of Mullins United Methodist Church and Port Charlotte United Methodist Church, respectively. James Kendall will be sadly missed by his family and friends. To share fond memories or expressions of sympathy for the Jones family, please visit Stonebriarfh.com.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stonebriarfh.com for the JONES family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.3