Ellen Marie Jones

Ellen Marie Jones, a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother whose life was marked by faith, generosity and a gift for making the world around her more beautiful, passed away on August 26, 2026 in Wichita, KS. She was 92.

Ellen was born September 6, 1933, in Poplar, Montana, to Clarence F. Brown and Mary Hester Harmon. It was a clear, dry autumn day, a fitting beginning for a woman who would spend her life noticing and nurturing beauty in the world.

She married Basil Jones, and together they had two children, Terry and Sherry.

Ellen had an instinct for seeing what something might become with a little care.

She loved flowers and planted trees creating gardens enjoyed by people throughout the community. Her garden was never entirely hers. What grew under her care often found its way into other yards and lives.

Her generosity extended to the creatures that wandered into her corner of the world. Birds, deer, woodland creatures and her cat Rags all benefited from her love and care.

Her eye for possibility extended throughout her life and way of being. With an assortment of odds and ends and a keen sense of what belonged together, she turned ordinary objects extraordinary. Where others might have seen something commonplace, she saw potential.

Ellen loved Jesus deeply, and lived by his teachings. She helped strangers and reached out to those struggling. She opened her home to women who were down on their luck and needed a safe place. She shared the Gospel with those who were hurting and put its teachings into practice through hospitality and compassion.

Ellen is preceded in death by her siblings: Bernice and Billy Corwin, Arlene, Murvin, Marlin and Myron Brown.

Ellen is survived by her son, Terry Jones and his wife, Ellyn; her daughter, Sherry Williams and her husband, Gary; her grandson, Mark Williams and his husband, Chase Lemons; and her granddaughter, Crystal Martin and her husband, Chris.

She leaves behind six great-grandchildren: Andrew Williams, Marcus Williams, Alexandria Williams, Caden Martin, Christopher Martin and Cale Martin.

Perhaps her life can best be understood by what she left growing behind her: There are trees she planted whose branches provide shade and comfort because her hands pressed soil around their roots. There are flowers descended from plants she once gave away. There are birds that came because she offered seed. And there are people who needed kindness that survive today because of the grace she gave freely. And that may be the most enduring garden she tended.