Robert Elwell Jones, 85, passed away peacefully on July 18th at his home in Overland Park, KS.
He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Joyce Hall Jones, and by his three sons and their families – Michael Jones and his wife Stacy (Prairie Village, KS) and their children Trevor, Colin and Ian; Evan Jones and his wife Tara (Roswell, GA) and their children Marshall, Morgan and Matthew; Eliott Jones and his wife Kim (Menlo Park, CA) and their children Ashley, Gretchen, Eliza and Annika; his sister, Ruth Glascock (Dunwoody, GA); and his niece Jill Glascock (Dunwoody, GA) and nephew Robert Glascock (Atlanta, GA).
Bob was raised in Buffalo, NY. He attended high school at the Nichols School, where he excelled in basketball and baseball. He and his sister were the first in a family of coal miners to attend college. To his great surprise, he was admitted to Harvard University where he majored in English Literature and played varsity baseball. Bob spent over 35 years with Archer Daniels Midland in the Kansas City area, where he and Joyce raised their three boys. In addition to his professional achievements in global nutrition, he was well known at home for his leadership within the Kansas City youth ice hockey community. He became an avid golfer in his later years as a member of the Shadow Glen Golf Club in Olathe, KS.
Bob will be remembered as an outgoing, kind-hearted leader and champion of the underdog. He was always ready to help those in need and to offer advice to those who came seeking his wisdom – he had a special talent for making complex problems simple. Bob loved helping others to succeed but never sought credit or accolades for the lives he impacted.
Most of all, Bob loved to make people laugh and to remind us not to take life too seriously. It was always a good day when he started a conversation with “Let me tell you a story…”
A memorial service will be held 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24th at Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS 66215. Following the service, the family will host a Celebration of Life at the Shadow Glen Golf Club, 2600 Shadow Glen St., Olathe, KS 66061 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Blue Valley Special Olympics or Compass High School in San Mateo, CA.