Dear Imogene and family, Mary called me to let me know about Sonny.  I am so very sorry and doubly sorry that I could not attend the services.  May God be with you and keep you during this sad time.  You have my deepest sympathy and prayers. Blessings and love,
Dot Donald

To the best uncle a person could have!!!! One of the sweetest people on this earth!!!! Thank u for loving me!!!  I will miss u much and love u always !!!!! Aunt Imogene u r in my heart and prayers !!! Love u !!!

I Miss You Bigdaddy

I know it hurt you
It hurt me too,
But now that you're gone
All I know is I miss you

You were there for so long,
I never thought you would leave.
I though you had another year
Waiting up your sleeve.

The day that you left
Was the saddest of my life.
I remember sitting at home
And crying all day and night.

I might be selfish 
But I wish you were here.
Or if you stayed
For one more year.

I know you loved me
And I still love you too.
So I'm trying to be strong
Just for you.

I know I'm not perfect.
I know I'll never be.
I just hope you're up there
And that you're proud of me.

You had to let go
Even though you were holding on for so long
But there's not a day I don't think of you,
And how you were so strong.

I just want to tell you
That you're always in my heart.
Even though I still cry
I know we're not apart.

We will always love you Bigdaddy
Trey, Danielle 
Jordan, Caleb, Lincoln, Cheyenne, Reesey & Kobe Jones

For My Bigdaddy

I know we are all feeling a little bit sad,
That we've lost our Bigdaddy, our friend and our dad
Together we have cried an ocean of tears
As we feel so empty and hold many fears

But Bigdaddy would want us to know he's in a good place
And that he's watching us all with a smile on his face
As we have made him so proud, as proud as can be
That he has raised such a beautiful and special family

Thinking back now I really must say
I feel lucky and privileged to have known my Bigdaddy to this day
For in my life, you have played a special part
The memories I will treasure and keep close to my heart

For me I am glad my little babies he got to meet
And for all of us, be grateful, his life is now complete
To each one of us he has loved and cared
And a family, be thankful for the good times we shared

Although he has gone we will always be together
And his spirit will live on in each of us forever
When you look to the sky, look for the brightest star
As that will be Bigdaddy looking down on us from afar

And now I would like to thank the good Lord above
For blessing us with our Bigdaddy with his kindness and love
Dear God, if it is not too much fuss
Take extra special care of our Bigdaddy as he is very dear to us

Bigdaddy if you are listening say a prayer for us every day
Be sure to protect us and guide us on our way
We know when God called you, you had to go
But we want you to know Bigdaddy we miss you and love you so.

My Bigdaddy was the best man i have ever met.  i wish i had more time to spend with him and to talk with him about everything. 
As long as i can remember, Bigdaddy would do bible study every night with Nana and myself.  He then would get on his knees and say his prayers.  He never missed a day!
I remember going with him to meetings down in I think it was called Jones shopping center or it could have been bright shopping center.  near where the old post office was.
I remember the Muses place, where we had a 1 acre garden and we had 2 horses, named Mr Ed and Black Thunder.  I remember we had 72 pigs at one time.  and as we worked in the garden i remember how police men would come and talk with bigdaddy about things and he would sign warrants.  Nana would bring us Ice Tea to drink as we worked in the garden.  I remember there was a persimmon tree there and bigdaddy gave me one to try.... i bit into it and it made my mouth shrivel all up and bigdaddy just laughed and laughed. :-)
Bigdaddy loved to stay busy, i was told stories about when he was a deputy sheriff way before Pearl was even a city.  and how he and one other was in the voluntary fire department and about the stories of the fires they had to put out.
I know that he owned a furniture store called Rebel Discount Furniture, and one of his slogans was "drive a little and save a lot"  and after bigdaddy closed his furniture store another company started using that slogan. :-)
Bigdaddy was heavily involved in community service.  He owned a Boxing club for the golden gloves.  referreed basketball, umpired softball.  he then went on and became the Mississippi State Director for USSSA.  Started Pearl Day and in my opinion made it into what it has now become.  Bigdaddy has held regional Tournaments and even World Tournaments for softball in Pearl Mississippi.  i remember some years he would have over 1000 softball teams that would come and play in his tournaments!  Bigdaddy was loved so much in the softball community that other states would ask him to come and be their tournament director.  one in particular that i can remember is when Bigdaddy was asked to direct the Men's Class A or B ( i cant remember) in Atlanta Georgia.  and there was a fight that broke out.  Bigdaddy got in there and stopped the fight and would try and calm them down.  in the end he got out 2 pairs of Boxing Gloves and would let them go at it and solve their differences instead of putting them in jail.
other things i remember,,, i remember going to George's cafe to eat lunch every wednesday when i was little.  that was the first time i ever tried chewing tobacco!  felt like i turned green.  and had to go sit out in bigdaddy's Red monte carlo.  and i brought up my entire lunch in the parking lot.  hhahahaha
i remember bigdaddy putting on a wig and going under cover to try and find this girl.  and in the end he had to crawl under a house and pull her out.
I remember bigdaddy putting on Dove hunts... and haveing big cook outs.  and going rabbit hunting on 3 wheelers.
Fishing...bigdaddy and I did lots of fishing.....we would go most wednesdays, and we would tease each other about who caught the biggest fish or the most fish.  sometimes if i was winning (which was rare if ever) bigdaddy would try and knock my fish off my line before i got him in the boat.  hahaha
Bigdaddy loved working in the yard.  he kept his yard beautiful, he would plant flowers, cut the grass 2 times a week., and fertilize it all the time.  i know he won yard of the month several times and then i think he told them not to give it to him anymore cause with him being a judge, he felt like people would think it was rigged.  but we would build green houses and work in the sheds, and we built some big dove pens and all kinds of things.
Bigdaddy was a justice court judge for 36 years, and i believe he was a city judge in flowood for 20 years.
Bigdaddy taught me alot in my life.  he taught me about God and his Son Jesus Christ, he taught me how to pray and the importance of prayer, he taught me how to love... i have seen my bigdaddy empty all the money he had out of his wallet to help strangers in need.  i have witnessed him giving hungry people on the side of the road food to eat when they were starving.  i have seen him be more compassionate and loving than anyone in my life.  Bigdaddy cared for all of God's children.  Bigdaddy taught my about honor and respect.  and that my word is my bond.  and that hard work is what makes you successful and happy.  one of the most important things i can remember from bigdaddy is ATTITUDE.  he would tell me over and over again that positive attitude is sooo important.  and to try and never be negative.
When bigdaddy would shave he would put on his polo aftershave, he would take his hands and rub my face with the left overs so i could smell like him.  he has done this as far back as i can remember even when i was a young teenager. :-)
If anyone has ever seen Bigdaddy's firework show they would know that his would be better than the cities!  we would go to the firework stand and fill up the back of old betsy, (blue Chevy 1979)... one time i remember shooting fireworks on new years eve and Teresa through a bottle rocket and it went up under a truck that was passing.... the guy stopped the truck and got out.... he was drunk as a skunk...swearing and yelling.....Bigdaddy told him to go on about his business and he came up to bigdaddy and sucker punch him right in the eye.... well after that all i can remember is bigdaddy having to help the man by putting him back in his truck to go on about his business...
the next day we went to church and Brother Benton asked Bigdaddy what happened to his eye... and i yelled out, BIGDADDY GOT INTO A FIGHT!
i remember Bigdaddy had the Jones Grip of Iron...  if you haven't tried it before, if you put an egg in you hand and try to squeeze it with equal pressure all around, it is very hard to break.  i remember bigdaddy showing me this and i couldnt break the egg as a child.  but bigdaddy could pop them with very little effort.
Next to Nana, Bigdaddy was the best cook in the world.  i remember him frying fish, making stuff potatos, boiling shrimp, and the best pork chops you ever tasted.
Bigdaddy taught me to be the man i am today i hear myself teaching my children the things he taught me ,he was and still is an inspiration to myself, to all his grandchildren and his great grandchildren he will live on through them , i often hear his laughter in my childrens laughter i see his smile in there smile.
Bigdaddy when you thought i wasn't looking i learned most of Life's lessons that i needed to know to be a good and productive person when i grew up.
When you thought i wasn't looking, i looked at you and wanted to say. "Thanks, for all the things i saw when you thought i wasnt looking, because of you i am a better man!
i could write a million more things about Bigdaddy, He wasn't just my Grandfather, he was and always will be my Best Friend.  and i know without any doubt in my heart that he will be at the right hand of our Father in Heaven that right now he is watching over us as he always has and will continue to do so,I love you Bigdaddy with all my heart always , forever and eternally , this isn't goodbye just farewell till we meet again!

My thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief.  May your memories bring you comfort.

James was a great friend. He was extremely kind & considerate. Our friendship  goes back around 50 yrs.  We had a lot of fun together thru the years.  Jack Carpenter

James was a great man and it was a great honor to have known him his family. My prayers are with his family. He will be missed. As he use to tell me on many accasions, " If it is gods will then enbrace it for there is greater things to come."

Judge Jones was a pillar in building Pearl and Rankin County. He was a firm but fair Judge with compassion for all who entered his court. Sincere sympathy to his family. All of us who knew him, will miss him, but hold him in fond memories.

My brother was, and is an angel. His influence on my life has been such that words could never tell.
My life will no longer be complete because his bright light has stopped burning. My precious brother, leave a candle burning in the window and I will come to you!!

My prayers are with your family now and in the future in the loss of your loved one.

Sue Collums

God is near to those that are broken at heart and those crushed in spirit he saves. God will sustain you and help you to endure your loss.

OBITUARY

James L. Jones

November 7, 1936 – February 11, 2012

Baldwin-Lee Funeral Home

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