Milton Monroe Jones passed at Hillcrest Living on Friday, February 23, 2018, in Sumner, Iowa, at the age of 81.
Funeral services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 3, 2018, at the United Methodist Church in Hawkeye with Mona Christie, Lay Servant officiating. Interment will follow at Bethel Cemetery, rural Hawkeye. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday, March 2nd at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Hawkeye and for one hour preceding services at the church on Saturday. Memorials may be directed to the family.
Milton was born on January 14, 1937, in Traer, Iowa to Joseph R. & Irma “Pansy” (Morris) Jones. He graduated from Alpha High School in 1955. On July 22, 1956, he married Velma “Jean” Ferguson. To this union, four children were born and raised on their farm near Hawkeye.
Milton, along with his wife and children, farmed and operated a farrow-to-finish hog operation along with cattle and sheep. The couple also performed custom combining operations for other neighbors. In addition to farming, Milton drove school bus for Alpha Schools and worked for John Deere retiring after 30 years in 1990.
Milton enjoyed purchasing used farm equipment or other mechanical items and repairing them to operating order. He loved attending auctions and flea markets and was considered a reliable resource to name unidentified pieces and explain their intended use. Milton enjoyed playing baseball and basketball while in high school. He went on to coach a women’s softball team and played on the Alpha Good-Timers slow-pitch team for many years. After his own participation in sports, Milton enjoyed many years as an active fan attending football, softball, wrestling, and volleyball activities as well as band and music concerts of which his children and grandchildren were involved. Milton enjoyed time spent fishing with the kids and grandkids at his gravel pit and pond. Until his recent illness, he actively participated in 5am Euchre with friends at Diane’s Café in Hawkeye. He was a Trustee on the Bethel Cemetery Committee and a member of the Alpha United Methodist Church. Milton had a sense of humor and loved a good practical joke. He practiced and instilled in his children the importance of helping others whenever possible without expecting something in return.
Milton is survived by his wife, Jean; children Sherry (Jack) Knipp of Waterloo; Connie (Scott) Buhr of Sumner; and Daryl Jones of Hawkeye; sister-in-laws, Velda Lynch and Linda Ferguson; brother-in-law Lavern (Debby) Ferguson; grandchildren Libby (BJ) Funke, Jason (Livia) Knipp, Laysie (Zach) Valdivia, Joelle (Nick) Gallick, Weston Buhr, Alyssa (Nick George) Buhr, Dylon Jones, Kaylee Jones, and Ben Jones; step-grandson Tylor Richmond; great-grandchildren Kash, Dez, Romey, Clara, Henrik, Stella, and Esme.
Preceded in death by his parents, his twin brother in infancy, his parents-in-law Harold & Martha Ferguson; son Gregory Jones; brothers-in-law Dale Lynch, Harold “Bud” Ferguson Jr, & Garold Ferguson; nephews Robert Lynch and Lucas Ferguson; aunts, uncles, cousins, and longtime friends.
