Marilyn Jones

Marilyn Jones was born on February 24, 1930, to Frank and Mary (Schow) Crookston in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was welcomed home by an older sister, Betty.
Marilyn attended the LDS church regularly and received many awards and gold stars in her Sunday school classes. She enjoyed school, especially reading and history. She also enjoyed piano lessons and music. She loved the Revolutionary War stories.
In high school, she enjoyed history and chemistry. She graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1948.
Marilyn started working for her dad in his drug store, behind the counter. She also worked for a short time as a secretary for the Teamsters.
It was while working at the drug store that she met the love of her life, Raymond Jones. He was a soldier stationed at Fort Carson. They dated and on December 31, 1951, they were married at her sister Betty’s home. Raymond deployed to Korea and served
until 1953.
When Raymond came home they moved to the Jones' ranch south of Laird, Colorado. Their first home was near Clough Valley in Kansas. They had about fifty Hereford cows to take care of. Their first child, a daughter, was born in 1954. They called her Valerie.
Their second child, also a daughter, was born in 1955. They named her Lynne. Their first son was born in 1959. They named him Brent.
They moved to the old Fred Peterson place and started farming around 160 acres.
Marilyn had some chickens and a sheepdog named Dude. Their second son was born in 1962. They named him Donnie. They had another little girl in 1966. They called her Ann Marie.
There were many high points and some low ones there. The kids grew up and learned how to do chores, take care of livestock, and how to farm. Marilyn had a lot of work to do, but always found time to read Bible stories to the kids and say their prayers every night. Marilyn loved doing jig-saw puzzles and there was a card table in the corner while the kids were growing up. She also loved to read and read countless books.
One low point was when she and Raymond divorced in 1974. Marilyn went to work at the Wray Hospital as a housekeeper until she retired in 1987. She had grandchildren by then and they were a bright spot in her life. She also raised a grandson, Eric.
Her favorite holidays were July 4th, Halloween, and Christmas. She loved fireworks, putting up decorations, and decorating a live tree every year.
Some of the low points in her life were the loss of her mother in 1995, the loss of Raymond in 1996, and the loss of her daughter, Ann Marie in 2003.
After a brief heart-related illness in 2004, Marilyn entered the Hillcrest Care Center, where she lived for eleven years. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 21, 2015. She was 85 years old.
Marilyn was a generous person who loved to spend time with her family. She was an avid Broncos fan and liked the Colorado Rockies baseball team. She watched every gameshe could. Her room at Hillcrest became "Grandma Central" for all her grandkids and great-grandkids.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Frank and Mary Crookston, ex-husband Raymond Jones, her sister, Betty Carson, daughter Ann Marie Marquis, niece Leslie Carson, nephew Neil Carson, grandson Jerrod Page, Grandson David Clark, and Grandson John.
Surviving her are her children, Valerie Clark, Lynne and Jim Page, Brent and Jo Jones, Donnie and Julie Jones, grandchildren Carri and Joe Buck, Brandi Clark, Megan and Steve Gewecke, Melanie and Kelly Sharp, Dustin, Greg, Nathan, Brian, and Matthew Jones, Taylor Jones, Eric Howard, Tiffany Buck, Donnie Buck, and Anita Marquis, great-grandchildren Kamryn and Karson Sharp, and Thomas and Annabella Buck. She is also survived by numerous other relatives, nieces, and nephews, and many friends.
Funeral Services were held Monday, July 27 2015, at the Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home in Wray, Colorado. Interment was held at the Grandview Cemetery in Wray, Colorado. Memorials may be made to the Muscular-Dystrophy Association. Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.