Richard Glenn Jones, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully in Tampa, Florida on August 15th at 4:40 PM at the age of 88.
He was preceded by his wife Armentha “Amy” Jones. He was surrounded by his daughter and son-in-law. He was the son of C. Glenn Jones and Flo E. Chitwood. Richard “Dick” was born in Salem on October 6, 1934.
Dick is survived by his sister, Donna Schwartz and sister-in-law, Myrna Rodgers; children, Renee and husband, Doug Maddison, and Brent and wife Kellie Jones; grandchildren, Angela and husband, Matt Muir and Andrew and wife, Taylor Manes; and great-grandchildren, Max, Ruby, June and Ted Muir, Arthur and Ivy Manes.
Richard grew up in Salem, IL, and attended SIU Carbondale where met and married his college sweetheart, Armentha “Amy” Wilkerson, from Mt. Vernon on August 20,1954; They were married for 67 years. Much of their married life was spent as corporate gypsies traveling for work. This corporate gypsy journey provided a lifetime of friendships and the opportunity to experience living in 9 different states as well as driving through all 50 states and traveling to 83 countries. Dick received the 2004 Jefferson County All-Stars award and he was an active member of the Mt. Vernon Elks and was a nominee for the Elks Volunteer of The Year Award. Dick was an avid golfer and a brittle type one diabetic. This coupled with his desire to be a force for good in raising awareness of diabetes opened the door to fundraising for the American Diabetes Association. This was the passion that led him to create the “Kiss A Pig” golfing for diabetes fundraiser marathon. In Dick’s last summer with Kiss A Pig, he golfed 110 holes in one day before retiring to administrative duties. He didn’t stop raising money for ADA; he continued to organize walks, gospel sings, and many other activities. Throughout the course of his fundraising for the ADA he raised over $100,000.00. He would say, “The money is working hard at developing a cure, and while it probably won’t happen in my lifetime it is on the horizon. I will stay with it until there’s a cure or I pass on, whichever comes first.” He was the Southern Illinois councilman for the ADA.
A graveside service will be held on Saturday, September 2, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at Oakwood Cemetery in Mount Vernon, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Richard’s honor to the American Diabetes Association. Call Hughey Funeral Home at 618-242-3348 or visit hugheyfh.com for further information.
