Dennis Lane Jones

Dennis Lane Jones was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 16, 1949, to Robert Charles (Bob) Jones and Mary-Lee Blandford Jones, at the Lady of the Lake Hospital that, at the time, sat facing the Mississippi River next to the Louisiana State Capitol. Both were attending the Louisiana State University (LSU) immediately after they married at the end of WWII, Bob earning a BS Degree in General Engineering, Mary-Lee earning a BA Degree in Journalism. Unbeknownst to either of them until about a year later after moving to Houston, Texas, Dennis had been born with severe cerebral palsy caused by lack of oxygen during birth.

Dennis was blessed to have the parents that he had. Bob and Mary-Lee were raised Christian as were their three sons. They were active in many Southern Baptist Churches in Texas wherever they lived and attended and participated in the Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening services. Bob became a Deacon in the Southern Baptist Church at an early age, sang in the choir, and lead the singing in a small Baptist Mission in Athens, Texas, and another small church in Houston, Texas. Bob was also a Scout Leader in the Boy Scouts of America for fifteen years, watching two of his sons, Robert Lee and Charles Lee, become Eagle Scouts. Bob and Mary-Lee saw to it that Dennis, having cerebral palsy, was taken care of throughout most of his life in a loving and caring Christian atmosphere at Mission Road Foundation, in San Antonio, Texas. Mission Road Foundation later became known in 1978 as Mission Road Developmental Center, which fell under the umbrella name of Mission Road Ministries established in the year 2000. It is estimated that Dennis was about eight or nine years old when he first attended Mission Road in 1958 or 1959. Little did he know that Mission Road was to be his home for the next 66+ years.

According to their website, Mission Road Foundation in San Antonio, Texas, was started by Clifford and Adele Bledsoe with three staff members in September 1947 as a school for their son and two other children. Clifford and Adele Bledsoe were Christian people. They were the ideal couple to start, run, and support a Christian based school for the handicapped, especially during the years following WWII and the Great Depression when there were few resources available to them. But with the help of God, they managed beautifully.

The children at Mission Road Foundation were well-behaved, friendly, outgoing, and likable. The atmosphere at Mission Road was an ideal atmosphere for raising these kids. There were some farm animals and maybe a garden at the back of the property. Everybody (that was able) was seen helping with some kind of chore, some in the “Main Bledsoe House,” some with the farm animals, and others elsewhere on the campus. The military bases in and around San Antonio were also known to help support the school whenever they could. Jimmy Dean of Jimmy Dean’s Sausage was on campus during the 60’s donating a new building for an indoor gymnasium. Later, when the gymnasium was turned into a dormitory, Dennis lived there for a while before the first cottage was built. The steel structure of the building is now being used to shelter the picnic area next to the swimming pool.

Dennis wore leg braces as a child and required a wheelchair his entire life to get around in. He also needed assistance to eat, bathe, and perform all toilet activities. However, life was much easier for him at his new home at Mission Road where he could get the help he needed without having to rely on only two people, his mother and father, to provide the assistance that he continually needed. In this new atmosphere, he thrived. He made friends. He learned how to read. He learned how to ride the city buses provided for the handicapped to attend Sunday morning church services at the First Presbyterian Church near downtown San Antonio. And most of all, he learned how to control his temper, which his family never witnessed themselves, but when they came to visit Dennis, Dennis’ friends and helpers were quick to share this with them.

Dennis looked up to his two older twin brothers and, consequently, he wanted to emulate them. When his brothers were in grade school, he wanted to go to grade school. When his brothers went to college, he wanted to go to college, which he did, receiving a Continuing Education Certificate in General Education on December 6, 1985, from the San Antonio College. When his brothers got a job after college, he wanted to get a job after college. He did all that. Poor guy. When his brothers got old, he got old too.

When Dennis had nothing else to do, which was most of the time, he would watch TV. Whenever possible, his priority was watching his favorite basketball team, the San Antonio Spurs, on TV. His range of other TV programs appeared to be wide… …very wide. His favorite TV program was The Andy Griffith Show. He had seen all The Andy Griffith Show reruns many times and even laughed before he was supposed to. The other TV program that he watched, which is on the other end of his TV program spectrum, was Jeopardy. Nobody was aware that he liked Jeopardy (they still aren’t) until he was seen one day in 2020 wheeling his wheelchair up to the front of the TV before Jeopardy came on. Jeopardy? He hadn’t watched TV all day long, but now wants to watch Jeopardy? What was going on?

A “flyer” labelled, “Dennis Jones,” which was mysteriously found hanging on the wall in Dennis’ room at Morningside Manor, says more about Dennis than what was being expressed in this Obituary, especially in his last few years:

This “flyer” was very much needed where it could be seen by everyone visiting Dennis in his room. Most people who came to see Dennis did not know that Dennis could read, which indicates that he had a mind much like most of us. Dennis also had a good sense of humor that put his mind to good use, which is one reason why he had so many friends. Dennis was a friend to everyone and there was nobody who wasn’t his friend. Thank you to the person who provided this “flyer.” I think we all know who you are.

Dennis Jones has two important connections with First Presbyterian Church. He has attended for many years and is a faithful member of the Genesis II Sunday School Class. His attendance record at Sunday School is one to be envied by us all! In addition, Dennis resides at Mission Road Developmental Center, an entity supported by First Presbyterian Church.

He is a voracious reader and is devoted to reading his Bible. Dennis is interested in knowing what is going on in the world at all times and enjoys keeping up with current events. There also is no more avid a fan of the San Antonio Spurs Basketball Team than Dennis. He knows his team and loves to watch them play. (Note: Dennis was a pal to 6’ 11” Swen Nater when he played for the San Antonio Spurs in 1973 and 1974.)

Dennis is a kind man with a gentle spirt. He loves the Lord and shares his enthusiasm through his winsome smile and sparkling eyes!

Dennis resided at Morningside Manor since May 16, 2025, for almost a year. He passed away in his sleep while in Hospice Care at Morningside Manor Nursing Home early Thursday morning, May 13, 2026, at the age of 77. Cremation will take place at Porter Loring Mortuary - McCullough in San Antonio, Texas.

Dennis is survived by his older brother, Robert Lee Jones. His other older brother, Charles Lee Jones, passed away January 7, 2026, one month shy of his 78th birthday. His father, Robert Charles Jones, passed away December 19, 2018, at the age of 97. His mother, Mary-Lee Blandford Jones, passed away April 4, 2009, at the age of 86.

As Dennis is a lifetime dependent child of his mother and father, it is expected that Dennis would be approved for Inurnment in his parents’ Columbarium Court Niche at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, which is located “a stone’s throw” from The Pentagon, the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. Both Arlington National Cemetery and The Pentagon are located across the Potomac River from the United States Capitol at Washington, D.C. His father, Robert Charles Jones, served as a Squadron Ordnance Officer in the U. S. Army Air Force in WWII, obtaining an honorable discharge as a Captain at the end of the war.