William Kenneth Jones passed into the loving arms of his Lord and Savior on January 16, 2025, at his home in Denison, Texas.  He was surrounded by his loving family, and joined his beloved wife, Minnie, in eternity.  Kenneth was 96 years of age.

He was born in the Celina area on March 21, 1928, the eldest of William Dennis Jones and Nellie Lorene Long Jones' five children. His elementary school years were spent in Sherman, Texas, and he was very proud of the education he got there before his family moved back to  Celina where he graduated from high school. He enjoyed telling about Celina parents during those years who sent foodstuffs from home to be cooked at school for lunch every day. He remembered those as some of the best meals he ever ate.

Kenneth worked many jobs during his lifetime. He plowed, planted and harvested the cornfield where Highway 289 now cuts through Celina. He tended  livestock and sheared sheep with his grandad.  He worked in meat markets, and delivered Manor Bread door to door.

During WWII Kenneth manufactured missile shells at the plant in Sherman, Texas. He claimed the knowledge he gained in each job he held, no matter what it was, ended up being somehow beneficial later in life.  After he married and began his family, he went to work at Cold Stream, a margarine plant which later became Safeway.  Years later, he attended college and was then hired by the United States Department of Agriculture as a meat inspector.  He earned many merit awards during his career and retired in 1995 after 27 years of service in the USDA.

Kenneth married his "love at first sight", Minnie Lee Lynch, on February 5, 1949, in her parents' home in Denison during the great ice storm.  He laughed when he told that the electricity had been off for several days, but came back on just before their wedding.  Kenneth and Minnie were married just two months shy of 75 years when she went home to Jesus in December 2023.

From the first day of their marriage, the two were vitally involved in the First Church of the Nazarene, teaching Sunday school classes and overseeing the evening Nazarene Young People's Society. They hosted many entertaining socials for these young people.  Later travels for Kenneth's job never took them to a place where they did not find a congregation they could join in service to the Lord.

Kenneth loved the outdoors so he raised his children to enjoy camping and traveling. Their unforgettable adventures began under the stars without even a tent.  Kenneth loved to laugh with his daughter and son about the memories they made in their explorations.   He and Minnie continued to travel after their children were grown, touring England, Scotland, Mexico, and Canada.

Kenneth never liked to be idle.  At 95, he was still trimming hedges, working the ground using a hoe, and cleaning his own car. When he was no longer able to do those chores, he could be found sitting in the sun in his favorite lawn chair for hours at a time.

Kenneth was the head and the center of his family.  He enjoyed every minute of life, and he taught his descendants to do the same.  He was the one they came to for a partner to hunt fossils, fly kites, or play badminton.  He loved to play pranks and share corny jokes with his grandkids and his fellow workers.  But he also was the one who gave wise advice, usually backed up with a verse of scripture.  There is pain in our goodbye to this man of God, but comfort in the memories we will treasure for the rest of our lives. Kenneth loved people and wanted everyone to know the peace and joy of a personal relationship with Jesus.

Kenneth was preceded in death by his spouse, Minnie Lee Lynch Jones; his parents, William Dennis Jones and Nellie Long Jones; his siblings, Floyd Jones, Lorene Wilbur, Joyce Sue Hill and Dennis Jr., who died at birth.

Survivors include his daughter, Beverly Kay Shires (husband Gayle), and his son Kenneth E. Jones; five grandchildren, seven great grandchildren, and one great-great grandson.

Pallbearers will be Braxon DeLoach, Kevan Anthony, Blaine Vick, Brandon Heineman, Jeff Elmore and Bruce Cleveland

The family will receive friends from 3:00-5:00 pm on Sunday, January 19, at Waldo Funeral Home in Sherman, Texas. Service will be Monday, January 20, at 1:30 pm and interment will follow at Cottage Hill Cemetery in Celina.