Francis Vernon Jones, 91, of Hill City, Kansas, died March 17, 2022. He
was born in Bogue, Kansas April 7, 1930 to Schulyer and Mary (Cannon)
Jones. He grew up with 12 brothers and sisters on the family farm and
attended the Bogue Schools. He joined the Army shortly after his
graduation. He was stationed for two of his three and a half years in
Japan. After his discharge he worked in Denver, Colorado for several
years. There he continued boxing that he had started during his years in
the military. It was during this time that he was a Golden Gloves
Champion.
On June 21, 1959 in Denver, Colorado, Francis and Carol Grace
Bronson were joined in marriage. They enjoyed over 57 years together.
The couple raised four sons. In the early 1960’s the family moved to
Hill City. Francis came back to Kansas for the work he truly loved,
farming. He farmed with his sister Helen and so enjoyed being on a
tractor. When it came to his other passion of gardening, Francis seemed
to have had a green thumb growing huge pumpkins and many different
varieties of watermelon. Each year he loved giving away those
watermelons to people all around the Hill City area. He also worked 30
plus years for the County.
Francis was a huge sports follower. He loved watching his nephews
play sports in the 1960s right into watching his sons in the 1970s. A
highlight was watching his son Steve and the 1978 Ringneck Basketball
win the State Championship. He was also a big Chicago Bulls fan when
Michael Jordan played. His television was additionally tuned in to
tennis, football, or golf.
Preceding Francis in death were his twin brother, Freeman in 1956,
his wife Carol, March 29, 2017, and his son Lionel, in 1965; sisters:
Helen, Elizabeth, Alta, Oletha, Margaret, and recently Rosa Stokes;
brothers, Lawrence and Kenneth. Francis is survived by his sons: Paul of
Denver, Colorado, Steven of Hill City, Schuyler and wife Charmine of
Jacksonville, Florida; seven grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren;
sisters: Shirley Ryines of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Justine Johnson
of Houston, Texas, and Ethel Johnson of Kansas City, Missouri and many
other relatives and friends.
A memorial service will be held at a later date.