James Jones

James Woodrow “Woody” Jones, 61, died at 12:08 p.m., Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at Willow Rose Rehab & Health Center in Jerseyville.

He was born on August 16, 1955 in Bono, AR, one of eight children born to Seywood & Helen (Smithey) Jones and spent much of his live residing in the Jerseyville area.

He moved to Joliet at age 19, it was during his time there that he met and soon married the former Karen Haas on March 20, 1976 at the St Paul’s Catholic Church in Joliet and together they had four children and shared in 40 years of marriage.

Woody and Karen made their home in Joliet for nearly 20 years before returning to Jerseyville in 1994 when Woody accepted a position as a Maintenance Mechanic at American Steel in Granite City, where he worked for 5 years before his health began to decline.

He enjoyed eagle watching and sports, with the Chicago Bears, Bulls and the St. Louis Cardinals being among his favorites. Woody also enjoyed working with his hands and had many talents that seemed to come natural to him. He developed of a love of carpentry while working at a cabinet shop in Joliet and continued to build many items around the house in the years to come. He also enjoyed working on cars and motorcycles, especially his Harley Davidson.

The two things that Woody held most valuable to him, however, where his faith and his family. He was a member of the Eastland Baptist Church in Jerseyville, where he regularly attended services with his mother ,and enjoyed each and every moment spent with his children. Growing up, the memories they made sitting around the living room watching wrestling on pay per view and eating pizza are ones they will never forget.

Surviving are his mother, Helen Jones of Jerseyville; his wife, Karen Jones of Breckenridge Hills, MO; four children, Brianne & Walker FitzRoy of Manchester, MO; Jason Jones of St. Louis, MO; Shawn Jones of Breckenridge Hills, MO and Brittany Jones of Valley Park, MO; three granddaughters, Katherine, Emilianna and Annastasia  FitzRoy; three brothers and sisters-in-law, Thomas & Karen Jones of Otterville; Jerry & Lilly Jones of Wichita, KS and Charles & Kathy Jones of Fort Worth, TX; four sisters and their spouses, Mildred & Ronald Griffin of Brownstown; JoAnn & Bill Thode, formerly of Imperial, MO; Frances Jones of Jerseyville and Sherry & Bob Robertson of Lebanon, OH; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his father, Seywood Jones; a brother-in-law, Kenneth Zipprich; as well as his K-9 companion, “Cheech”, a black pug, who Woody adored and loved to spoil for many years.

Visitation will be held from 9 a.m. until time of funeral services at 11 a.m., Thursday, September 1, 2016 at the Crawford Funeral Home in Jerseyville with the Rev. John Gibson officiating.

Burial will take place at Grimes-Neeley  Cemetery in Jerseyville.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to American Kidney Foundation in care of the funeral home.