Obituary – David Samuel Jones (1947 – 2022)

David Samuel Jones was called to Heaven on February 28, 2022. Davy was 74 years old. He passed quietly at his home in Florissant, St. Louis, Missouri.

David was born in Boise City, Oklahoma, on Friday, July 13, 1947. Born on a Friday the 13th, he claimed it as his lucky day. David graduated from High School in Gruver, TX, class of 1965 as a member of R.O.T.C., then attended college at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Oklahoma, on an R.O.T.C. scholarship.

David enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at the age of 19 and went into active service in 1967. He was promoted to Sergeant / Grade E4 while serving overseas in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. During his tour of active duty, David was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal, and he also earned the Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon.

David moved into the petroleum business after his honorable discharge and worked for Colorado Interstate Gas Company (“C.I.G.”). He worked for ten years throughout Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. On April 28, 1970, David married the love of his life, Shari Jones (nee Widener). They were married in Pampa, TX, with his mother in attendance and the ceremony performed by his uncle, the Reverend Albert Maggard. Their marriage truly lasted until death did them part (more than half a century later.)

In 1980 David moved his family to Oklahoma City and began work for Basin Petroleum during the Oklahoma Oil Boom, where he excelled at buying and selling oil. He received the nickname “The Shaw of Oklahoma” and earned the respect of his industry peers, who valued his friendly, outgoing, honest personality and sense of humor. David and Shari raised their sons Shane and Shawn in Mustang, OK, and made many lifelong friends there as well. The house - and back yard - were often filled with family, neighbors, and friends. 

At the age of 50, David combined his sales expertise and love of cars into a position as a car salesman, a career change that coincided with a move to St Louis, Missouri. He spent nearly 25 years in the St Louis area enjoying the Arch, Union Station, the St Louis Rams, the St. Louis Cardinals, and regional attractions from Pere Marquette to the Lake of the Ozarks. His six grandchildren were born in St Louis and made many memories at Papa and Nana’s house, from Christmas Eve to Easter Sunday, to summer days out on the deck or in the swimming pool.

David enjoyed a variety of hobbies during his long and successful life, from outdoor activities like hunting and camping to indoor pastimes like playing billiards, dominos, and cards. He was a good pool shot, an outstanding shade tree mechanic, a lifelong supporter of shooting sports and the second amendment, and had a casual interest in cameras and photography. David and his wife owned one of the first one-hour film labs in the Texas Panhandle (back when cameras required film, which had to be developed, processed, and printed).

David’s mother imparted to him a love of music, from Elvis, to Willie Nelson, to cowboy tunes. His late father instilled in him a deep love of reading, and he read daily, from biographies to novels, from magazines to classic poems – several of which he memorized and could frequently quote to his family and friends. David was always good for a quick joke or a funny story in happy times, and he was always ready with a helping hand for a family member or a friend in need.

If anyone could use an example of how to be a true and faithful friend, one could do no better than to look at David, who had many that were both genuine and life-long. But what Papa cherished above all else was his family. He dedicated his life -- and in many ways, he sacrificed his health -- to support his wife and sons, and he always tried to do everything in his power to make their lives as comfortable and as successful as possible.

David was preceded in death by his father Paul N. Jones; his brother Paul “Butch” Jones, Jr., and his sister Linda Jones. He is survived by his mother Mozelle Mosier; his brother John Jones (and wife Tracy), and his sisters Paula Lott, Tina Pickett, and Dana Mosier; as well as by his wife Sharon Y.  Jones, son D. Shane Jones (and wife Janine and children Alex, Shannon, Jenna, and Savannah) and son Shawn P. Jones (and wife Liz and daughters Madeleine and Jane).

A brief military funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. April 15, 2022 (Good Friday) at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, MO. The family will then host a dinner and celebration of his life from 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. at the Nature Lodge at Sunset Park in Florissant, Missouri.

Instead of flowers, the family requests that you consider donating to your local Veterans Center, your local V.F.W. post, or Heartland Hospice Care / ProMedica.

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