John Wesley Jones

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 12:00 PM at Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Tyler, where Papa was a proud member of the Knights of Columbus, with Bishop Joseph Strickland officiating. Burial with military honors will be at Cathedral in the Pines Cemetery in Tyler under the direction of Stewart Family Funeral Home. John Wesley “Papa Wapa” Jones left Tyler, Texas on his last adventure to meet his Creator, November 4, 2016. Papa’s life began in Hartsville, Missouri on August 18, 1938. At 17, he joined the Navy (or “Nawy” as indicated by his tattoo) and served on the USS Samuel N Moore DD747 in the Pacific. Upon leaving the Navy, Papa became a boilermaker and traveled across the U.S. He eventually settled in Tyler and met Jacquelyn Lowden, the love of his life, in June, 1979, and married her December 23, 1990. Papa was known for giving his family rhyming nicknames, playing Super Mario, being a whiz at computers, and always cracking jokes. He loved his family dearly, and in his honor they will all toast to his life and last voyage with a shot of Tullamore Dew, his favorite Irish Whiskey. Papa is preceded in death by his parents Arthur B. Jones and Renda C. Wooten Jones; his sisters, Joyce Jones, Doris Jones and Ruby Jones Bray; his brothers, Eldon “Doc” Jones and A.B. Jones; and son, Shane Jones. He is survived by his wife, Jacque; his sister, Louise Maberry; his brother, David Jones; his children and step-children, Liz Owen (Greg), Laurie Sills (Ron), and Shon Jones (Sarah), Paul Lowden (Linda), Jim Lowden (Janice), Jack Lowden (Tyanne), Pam Brower (Wayne), Joel Lowden (Anna), and Mario Ruiz (Gloria); 25 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; and many beloved nephews and nieces. Honorary pallbearers will be grandsons and great grandsons. Visitation is scheduled from 6:00 - 7:00 PM, with Rosary starting at 7:00 PM on Monday, November 7, 2016 at Stewart Family Funeral Home, 7525 Old Jacksonville Highway, in Tyler. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to American Diabetes Association, 1701 N. Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311 or Heart to Heart Hospice, 1402 Rice Rd., Tyler, TX 75703.

John Wesley Jones

August 18, 1938 - November 4, 2016