Gary Armon Jones

Gary Armon Jones

Gary Armon Jones was born north of Plano, Iowa on the family farm to Merle and Ova (Samuelson) on November 16th 1936. He passed away on Oct 3rd 2019. He was the youngest of six children. Not long after he was born his mother became ill with TB and she passed away when he was a toddler. Gary was sent to live with his Grandma Ollie Jones in Plano for a while and then with his oldest sister Betty Harbold in DeWitt. He would often come back to the family farm for visits and summers to spend time with his father and siblings but his father died in a car accident when Gary was 10. He stayed with Betty until he started high school and then he moved back to Plano and lived with his brothers and graduated from Seymour Comm School in 1956.

After high school Gary went to barber school and cut hair in Corydon Iowa. He also joined the army reserves in 1959 and then he was drafted by U.S. army. He served from March of 1961 to March of 1963. In the army he drove a tank and was medaled for being a sharp shooter. After his military time Gary drove a rock truck for a while and then became a crane operator for Milwaukee Railroad and then Army Corp of Engineers where he worked in Onawa, Iowa and Jefferson City Missouri where he worked until he retired. After retirement he moved to Centerville for a few years and then moved as far south as possible to Brownsville TX to escape the cold weather.

Gary was briefly married to Lynn Page and had a long time girlfriend Kathy Cardani. In his last years he enjoyed spending time with his girlfriend Latisha Workman and her son Christopher Lara.

Gary will forever be known for his ornery grin and quick wit. He was never shy about expressing his opinions to family and friends. He loved to make phone calls to family members on a whim and get the latest news. He would often call his sister and brother daily just to check in on them. He led a full and colorful life leaving family and friends with many stories to recall. He enjoyed cars and attending car shows. He owned a VW which he was very proud of. He owned a pet Boxer name Cassius for many years that he adored. He enjoyed drinking red wine and listening to old country music songs. His family repeatedly urged him to return to Iowa to live near them but he could not break away from the warm temps of Brownsville.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents Merle and Ova and siblings Betty and Wayne Harbold, Neil and Ielene Jones, Dale and Eleanor Jones and brother in law Gene Glenn. Niece Diana Glenn

He is survived by sister Joann Glenn and brother Donnie (Karen) Jones. Latisha Workman and Christopher. Nieces and nephews Merlyn (Dan) Harbold, David Harbold, Diane (Fred) Neil, Becky (Brad) Fetters, Phil (Faye) Jones, Donnie Merle Jones, Michael (Sandy) Jones, Chris Jones, Brian (Brenda) Jones, John (Donna) Glenn, Tim (Linda) Glenn, Danny Glenn, Kimberly (Nick) Hindley and Cheryl (Bill) Hillyard, along with a large number of nieces and nephews.

Per Gary’s wishes he will be cremated and buried next to his Grandparents Ollie and John Jones at a graveside service at Crossroads Cemetery in Plano, IA later this year.