In life, there are some leaders that have such a great impact on you that it changes who you are. Their influence goes beyond a single moment and lasts days, weeks, or years into the future. People that have this impact are very special. When you find someone that has that effect on you, it would be wise to pay close attention to the lessons they teach you and to savor the time you spend with with them.
I had a person like that in my life for 31 years of my life. That was my grandma, Doris Jones. If you are a regular follower of my website, you may have noticed that I haven’t posted much for the past month. The reason was that my grandma took a dive for the worst with her health and passed away on June 12, 2013. It has been a challenging time for my family and me, but also a time filled with family, love, and the sharing of great memories. My grandma was a great lady and one of my biggest heroes. As a tribute to her, the rest of this post is her obituary.
A Tribute To My Hero
Doris Gwendolyn Logan Jones was born May 5, 1926, to Dr. William and Florence Logan in Billings and died of natural causes on June 12, 2013, surrounded by her loving family. She is survived by her loving husband, Edward Jones; her five children Mark (Cathy) of Anchorage, Alaska, Kent (Kimberly), Stan (Christine), Cliff (Diane), all of Billings and Konni Davis (Tim) of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Also surviving are her brothers, Kenneth Logan (Ruth) of Warner Robbins, Ga., John Logan (Gwen) of Dearborn, Mich.; 23 grandchildren and 42 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Betty Hartman.
Doris attended McKinley Elementary (living across the street from the boy who would later become her sweet husband of 65 years), Lincoln Junior High and Billings Senior High School, graduating from Cheyenne High School in Cheyenne, Wyo. She also attended college at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan., and graduated with a BA in art from Brigham Young University.
Being involved in the community was important to her. For over 15 years, she and her husband volunteered to cut hair monthly and provide art work for the children at the Children’s Receiving Home. They also provided foster care for 14 children. Doris formed a book club in 1953 that is ongoing, taught art classes in her studio for 53 years, taught private organ lessons, was very involved in the Billings Community Concert Association, taught Sunday School for 18 years in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and worked as an ordinance worker in the Billings, MT LDS Temple.
In addition to excelling in art, she loved designing and constructing. One of her legacies was to design and manage the construction of their cabin in Luther. The cabin consists of 13 bedrooms and eight bathrooms, each of which is designed around a theme for which she painted all the murals. She wanted this cabin to be a place where her children could bring their families and enjoy each other. She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and they all loved her.
In addition to her family, her second passion was her art. She enjoyed specializing in Indian portraits. During her art career, she created the Pow Wow Kids stationery with Leanin’ Tree Publications. Her artwork was exhibited in the Browning Museum along with C M Russell and Fredrick Remington.
So sorry to hear of your grandmother’s passing. Continue and sustain her legacy within you and share it with the world!
Mark,
Thank you for your kind words.
Sorry about your lose. It’s great to see you place a high value on your grandmother and learned from her life. We need more people who seek the knowledge, advice, and wisdom from older generations. I’ll be praying for you and your family.
Dan,
Thank you so much for your prayers and support for me and my family.