Korean Combat Veteran Laid to Rest at Holdenville Cemetery
Bob Jones, 94, passed away peacefully at his home in Raytown, MO on January 3rd, 2026.
Bob was born on June 15, 1931, in McLoud, Oklahoma, to William and Aleetha Jones (Snellings). Bob grew up in Holdenville, Oklahoma, with his parents, four brothers, and four sisters. Though times could be a little rough during the Depression, the family maintained a large garden, with the boys doing their part as avid fishermen and rabbit hunters. Bob fondly remembered growing up in those idyllic years of small-town life in Holdenville and liked to share stories about his friends and experiences, including tales of hunting with the future oil & gas tycoon, T. Boone Pickens.
Bob joined Battery C, 171st Field Artillery of the 45th Infantry Division, Oklahoma National Guard, in March of 1947 at just fifteen years old. He later told his family that the local recruiter accepted him because he was “big enough,” despite being well under the required age. His early interest in the military, natural curiosity, skill with weapons, and excellent guidance from World War II veterans who were reorganizing the 45th Infantry Division after the war, gave him the opportunity to learn well ahead of his years.
Bob graduated from Holdenville High School in 1948 and worked for H-T Drilling Contractors as an oil rig roustabout & roughneck, while continuing his training with the National Guard. In 1951, the 45th ID was deployed to Korea where Bob served as Master Sgt. and Chief of Firing Battery, Battery C. He served briefly as a Forward Observer and was recommended for a battlefield commission in April of 1952. After having earned sufficient combat points to rotate out and believing his luck might eventually catch up with him, Bob chose to return home. In later years, he enjoyed attending annual reunions with his Battery C buddies and their wives...many at Barbara Walker’s Pecan Farm outside Holdenville... sharing stories, telling lies, and enjoying the camaraderie that only combat vets can appreciate.
After returning home from Korea, Bob accepted a commission to serve with the 45th as Executive Officer for the new Battery C 171 Field Artillery from 1952-1957. Bob attended college on the GI Bill...initially at East Central Oklahoma State University, before transferring to the University of Oklahoma. He married the love of his life, Carolyn Sue Hudson, also from Holdenville, in 1954. They lived in married housing on the OU campus until Bob completed his Fine Arts degree and Sue finished her degree in Biomedical Science. A Sooner through and through, Bob liked to point out that he attended OU during the Sooners historic 47-game winning streak under legendary coach Bud Wilkinson.
Bob moved to Kansas City in 1956 to work for Hallmark Cards, initially as a Promotional Sales Artist, then Graphic Design Artist and eventually in management... enjoying a 33-year career that paralleled the company’s heyday in the 70’s & 80’s...a period marked by creativity, growth, and excellence. He & Sue would raise a family of five children during this time and pass along their faith, values, work ethic, and appreciation of family.
Bob continued in the guard, joining Battery D of the 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division (Harry Truman’s old Unit in Independence, MO) and was later transferred to the 135th Signal Battalion due to the reorganization of the Missouri Guard. He then became Company Commander of the 436th Signal Company in Kansas City, receiving a commendation from Missouri Governor, Warren Hearns, and praise by the Kansas City Police, recognizing him and his unit for being an essential element in restoring law and order to the Country Club Plaza during the “Holy Week Riots” of April 1968... five days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.. Bob continued his military career with distinction, retiring as a Captain in 1991.
Nothing reflected Bob’s devotion more clearly than the care he gave to Sue when she began her battle with Alzheimer’s. In 1989, when Dad first noticed the early signs, he retired immediately from Hallmark so they could travel the world, continue their genealogy research, and enjoy their golden years together. Dad refused to place her in a memory care facility and lovingly cared for her at home until her passing in 2009, after 54 years of marriage.
Bob is survived by his son, Rex Warren Jones (wife Carol, grandson Christopher Jones, and granddaughter Shawn O’Brien); daughter April Elaine Butterfield (husband Rick, grandsons Brett Butterfield and Evan Butterfield); son, William Brent Jones (wife Linda, granddaughter Rachel Jones); son, Robert Marion Jones (wife Mindi, granddaughter Allison Jones and grandson William Jones).
Bob was preceded in death by his wife Carolyn Sue Jones (Hudson), his daughter, Susan Jones (Reese), and granddaughter, Jacqueline Biersmith; father, William Earl Jones; his mother, Aleetha Louise Jones (Snellings); his brothers, William Earl “Bill” Jones, Jr., Orris Edson “Ed” Jones, Alfred Eugene “Al” Jones, and John Paul “Cotton” Jones; his sisters, Elaine Jacqueline Jones, Kathryn Joann “Pat” Taylor, Kay Jones, and Judith Ann “Judy” Jones; He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren: Olivia Butterfi eld, Hadley Butterfi eld, Jack Butterfield, Brooks Butterfield, Amelia O’Brien, Noah O’Brien, and Warren Jones.
Dad led by example, believed in the goodness of people and in the American Dreamand he lived that belief through consistency, sacrifice, and unspoken support. Bob and Sue left this world better than they found it and his family is forever grateful.
Thank you for everything, Dad. We love you & miss you...and take comfort that you are with Mom, Susan & Jackie...as well as those that came before you.
“I’m a Sooner born and Sooner bred, and when I die, I’ll be Sooner dead.”
Bob will be buried next to his beloved bride during a graveside service to be held on Saturday, January 17th at 2pm in Holdenville Cemetery.