JESSE EDMUND JONES JR

Jesse Edmund Jones Jr. was born January 22, 1928,
near the cusp of the great depression, in the small
Italian community of Ledwidge, Arkansas where his
father, Jesse Jones Sr. was the local schoolteacher,
and his mother Hettie, managed their home and
harvested field crops. Though he was the only child of
Jess and Hettie, his many cousins living nearby were
like his siblings.

When Edmund’s mother died, we found in her
keepsakes a small cardboard with a smudged blue
imprint of a baby foot. Hettie’s wide looped script
labeled it “Junior’s foot July 1928”. That foot
carried him all over the world - to school in
Texas where he met his life-long love, Ruth,
when he was 16. To California where he served
in the Navy as an airplane mechanic at the
close of World War 2. To Nebraska where he
attended College. To Oklahoma where he married
Ruth, bought his first house and completed his
bachelor's degree in zoology.

The travel bug continued to poke, and he
abandoned plans for medical school to
move to Alaska, the last frontier. He taught
school there and later began working
for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
His family moved to Montana where he
became the pastor of several small Adventist
churches in wheat country. While there,
he survived a life-threatening accident while
helping one of his parishioners during the
wheat harvest. Ruth, a church musician,
nurtured his singing and that skill became
an important part of his ministry. Leaving Montana,
he spent 2 years leading music with an
evangelistic team conducting meetings
throughout Nevada, California, and Arizona.

Following a three month sabbatical in 1961,
during which he circled the globe with two of his
pastor friends, he settled his family in Scottsdale,
Arizona, where he was pastor of the newly formed
Camelback Adventist church. There he oversaw
the construction of the new church building.
In the late 1960’s he became pastor of
the Adventist church in Hollywood where
he was active in the Rotary Club and
in Americans United for the Separation
of Church and State.

In 1974 he made his home in Lancaster and became
pastor of the Lancaster Adventist church where he
served for the next 18 years till his retirement. During
his 47 years of residency in the Antelope Valley he
served as chaplain for the Los Angeles Sheriff
Department conducted Sunday worship services at the
Acton Thousand Trails Campground for 35 years,
officiated at annual Memorial Day services at the
Lancaster Cemetery, and conducted weddings and funerals
for many in the community, regardless of their church affiliation.

Ed died peacefully in his home, Sabbath,
January 9, 2021, secure in the love of God
and the Bible promise he had shared with many
others throughout his life: “I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now
there is in store for me the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to
me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who
have longed for his appearing.”

Edmund is survived by his children and their spouses;
Anita Horner, Teresa and Daniel Maupin,
Pamela and Larry Bender, and Stephen and Jennifer Jones.
His nieces Marcia Bergstrom and Cheryl Bergstrom.
His grandchildren and their spouses;
Kerena and Rolando Mendez, Shana and
Ed Sammons, Marisa Maupin and Nicholas Blewett,
Evan and Jennifer Bender, Brandon Maupin and
Gabby D’Ottaviano, and Wesley and Holly Bender.
His great-grandchildren Jack Sammons,
Daisy Sammons, Paige Mendez, Nolan Mendez,
Sophia Bender and Tyler Bender.
He loved to count his family and say 1+1 = 25.

Please copy and paste this link to your browser to view the Memorial Service for Pastor Edmund Jones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luubqvNQnag&t=11s

THE FAMILY REQUESTS DONATIONS TO
THE LANCASTER SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH IN LIEU OF FLOWERS.
BURIAL WILL BE PRIVATE. THANK YOU.