Obituaries Announcements

James " Eldon" Jones
Chapel Oaks Funeral Home Hiawatha
Hiawatha, KS

James Eldon Jones, of Hiawatha, died and went to be with his Lord and Savior on November 1, 2024, at the age of 99. 

He was born to William and Melissa Mae Dugger Jones in Tinsley, Kentucky on October 28, 1925.  He was one of four children. His siblings were Virginia (Joe) Logan, Bob (Maxine) Jones, and Barbara (Carlos) Hundley. 

Eldon grew up in Loyall, Kentucky and left at the age of eighteen to serve in the US Navy during WWII from February 1944 and honorably discharged in May 1946. He served as an Electrician’s Mate, Third Class as well as a volunteer chaplain on board ship. He earned these honors: American Area Ribbon, Asiatic Pacific Area Ribbon, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, One Star, and the WW II Victory Ribbon. After discharge from the United States Navy, Eldon graduated from Georgetown College and then graduated from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 1953. He married Emma Marie Greene of Barbourville, KY on December 21, 1946, and had three daughters. Eldon and Marie were married 75 years before her passing in March 2022.

Reverand Eldon Jones pastored churches in Alabama and Kentucky. Then he served as a Superintendent of Missions in Bell County, Kentucky and as Area Director of Missions in SE Indiana. Rev. Jones moved to Liverpool, NY where he served as Director of Missions for the Southern Baptist Central Association in New York State. In 1974 he moved to Kansas City, MO to serve as Church Extension Director for the SBC and served in fourteen states supporting pastors. He interim-pastored numerous churches in KCMO and Laramie, WY and assisted his son-in-law in associational missions in Cheyenne. He fully retired from ministry in 2013 after 67 years of faithful service. Eldon enjoyed doing electrical and mechanical work in the home and was a small plane pilot, using a Cessna 150 in his work travels. Eldon and Marie enjoyed traveling in almost all fifty states.

He is survived by his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and his brother Bob (Maxine) Jones. His children are Sandra Gay Jones of Chapman, KS, Brenda Sue Elsbury (David) of Hiawatha, KS, and Janice Marie Porter, (Mark) of Muldrow, OK. He has six grandchildren Kathleen Loetscher (Luke), Daniel Porter, Kinderly Cluff (Kris), Jessica Henks (Brian), Jennifer Kneisel (Jarred), and Jeffrey Elsbury (Amanda) and eight great grandchildren.  

Memorial service will be held 5:00 PM Saturday, November 9th at First Baptist Church, Hiawatha, Kansas with visitation at 4:30 PM. A memorial service will also be held in Kentucky. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to The Gideons International, USA in care of Chapel Oaks Funeral Home, in Hiawatha.

Military honors will be a courtesy of the Brown County Veterans Honor Guard.

Friends may sign the register book at the funeral home from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday.

www.chapeloaksfuneralhome.com