Dates for the 2009 reunion are August 14-15-16 , 2009

More details to come.

Brad recorded the stories told by John C., Rachel, Frank and Bill. I have not had a chance to edit the files yet, but if you want the raw recordings I have linked to them below. The files are in mp3 format and should play on iTunes, Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc. Just right click on the link for each file, then left click on “Save Target As” (Verbiage may vary depending on your browser). A window should pop up, choose “Save”.
Jones Reunion 2008 Part 1 23 Meg
Jones Reunion 2008 Part 2 47 Meg

If you would like these files in a cd format, just send us your mailing address and we’ll get a copy to you.

Hey fellow Joneses:
Thanks for attending the wonderful and very comfortable reunion at Lutherhoma, owing in part to the excellent weather.  We were treated to many amusing and nail-biting stories from John C., Rachel, Frank and Bill and had great fellowship.  Saturday morning featured the 42nd Annual Jones Breakfast and the family dinner at noon.  Friday and Saturday nights featured the annual gospel singing, which included quality guitar accompaniment by James Briggs of Sperry, OK and Ronnie Jones of Canon (pronounced Canyon) City, CO, and vocals by everyone in attendance.
 
On a similar note:
Donnie Marrs, Steve Jones, Ron (Bunk) Jones and Larry Briggs have commissioned a small grave stone for the three Jones brothers who died at very young ages.  These three (James Paul, Joseph Marion Leo Critenton) are buried in the Chelsea cemetery.  Please email me your pledge if you wish to help pay the $400 cost and I will publish a list of donors later.  The four cousins mentioned above will donate about half the total cost. 
Many thanks,
Donnie, Steve, Ron and Larry

UPDATED: 8-25-08
Greetings again:

The fund for the marker to be placed on the graves of the three young Jones brothers in the Chelsea cemetery is growing. The following grandchildren (and their families) of Deck and Lottie Jones are sending donations to honor their uncles mentioned above.

Franklin and Janet Howard and their children (Herbert Wesley Jones, 1920-2006)

Gene and Pat Moore and their children (Herbert Wesley Jones)

Randall Murphy (Orpha Jones Briggs, 1917-2002)

Carolyn Kinney (Lois Jones Thulin, 1934-1980)

Donnie and Judy Marrs (Ruth Jones Marrs, 1916-2005)

Steve and Theresa Jones (Earl T. Jones, 1927-1999)

Ron (Bunk) and Pam Jones and family (John C. Jones)

Larry and Terry Briggs and their children (Orpha Jones Briggs)

We currently have $285 in the fund and need only $115 more to complete the purchase. Write now to be included.

Thanks,

Larry

Below are some comments about the 2008 reunion by Shirley Murphy, Doneen Johnson, and Ruth Rogers.

Ruth wrote a great piece reminiscing about reunions gone by. I thought it deserved to be posted by itself and did so. You will find it after this post.

Ruth also brought to our attention that we are missing the tribute to Aunt Madeline by her children. The process of migrating the stories from the old site was a manual process. Each one had to be cut and pasted individually. I was the one that did the cutting and pasting. Somehow I missed the one about Aunt Madeline.  Brad is looking in the directory from the old site to see if he can find it. However, if someone has it handy. Send it to us and we will get it posted.

-Randall

Here are the comments:

Shirley Murphy:

“I don’t know about you, but I really enjoyed reunion this past weekend. I hope all of that were there had as good a time as I did. We really do appreciate those that are older making the effort to come, even though, they didn’t feel like coming. I personally want to thank Ronnie for coming and bringing his kids, Pat and Janet, Uncle Henry and Aunt Rachel, Meredith and Ruth. It was great to see all of them.  It had been a long time since some of you were able to come. The weather was wonderful. I want all my aunts and Uncles to know that we all had a great time listening to all their stories. All of you had a part in making the reunion. “            

 

 Doneen Johnson:

“I agree, Shirley.  I thoroughly enjoyed the stories told by Grandpa’s (Loyd’s) brothers and sister.  It made the reunion very special, and definitely emphasized the reason we are there, which for me, is to celebrate and appreciate our family, and to bring the generations closer together.  One mischievous generation of kids is really no different than the next.  The idea was a fantastic one.  I hope we do it again next year.  Also, what little music I got to hear was gorgeous!”

 

Ruth Rogers:

Great minds run in the same channels!  It was so good to see everyone.  When I come to reunion, I always feel welcomed and at ease.  I have no agenda, nothing to prove, no one to impress, and nothing to worry about.  I can sit and read, chat, listen to the chatter around me, watch the kids playing, listen to the music, or even fall asleep sitting straight up!  We plan on coming to reunion as long as we are able.

 

I too enjoyed the stories told by John C., Mom, Frank, and Bill.  I’m sure there are more stories there just waiting to be told.  Thank you Chelsea, Megan, and Lauren for the a cappella song.  It was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes.

 

Thanks to James, Ronnie, Larry, and Bill for pickin’ and grinnin’.  I love joining you in singing the old hymns! 

 

The food.  The food.  What can I say about the food!  It was excellent, and I outdid myself eating.  We do love to eat!

 

Special thanks to Larry Briggs for all his hard work in continuing the tradition.  In addition, I want to thank the Briggs and Bill Jones Families because they are so good about staying over on Sunday morning to clean up the campgrounds. 

 

Thanks to Brad and Randall for the www.ransomjones.com website.  What a great place to keep our memories!  I’m especially enjoying the calendar.  Wow.  It makes me realize that I don’t know all of you and your offspring.  (Please visit it and let Larry and Randall know of any changes or additions.)  Thanks for posting pics from the 2008 reunion already.  Even if you didn’t get to attend, you can view pictures on the website.  One request:  Can those who told stories get them written up and posted to the website? 

 

It is obvious that the offspring of Loyd Jones have made a special effort to attend the Reunion these past few years.  Thanks for the extra push.  It’s been so nice to see you all. 

 

I missed the Cook family and pray that next year we’ll get to see some of them. 

 

Janet and Pat were a great surprise—from two different states.  It really made it seem like old times!

 

I missed Bill Marrs and his family, and we’re praying for his complete recovery.

 

We also missed those who are descendents of Ransom Jones but not descendents of Dexter Jones.  ‘Hope you can join us again soon!

On my way to work this morning, I was reminiscing.  I grew up in Los Angeles, California, so I was far away from my extended family until I was 22 years old.  We came to Oklahoma about 3-4 times prior to that.  My first memory of Family Reunion was at Fiddlers Bend as a 14-year old.  We had the best time!  The teenagers and tweenagers stayed up half the night in a large house and enjoyed visiting—because that’s the only time we were all together.  It’s easy for a kid to come to reunion—they don’t have to worry about a thing.  Mom and Dad take care of it all.  After I moved to Oklahoma in 1974, I have enjoyed many reunions at Camp Lutherhoma.  It grew a little stale, because getting food, bedding, and everything ready to go when you’re a full-time working mother is hard.  (In addition, most of the people at reunion were those that I saw regularly at church in Sperry.)  However, I made the effort year after year, because it was important to me—and most of all, it was important to my Mother. 
 
The first year that I came to Camp Lutherhoma, some played softball, and the rest of us cheered them on.  That night in our cabin, Charlie spoke out in the darkness,  “I must have about 30 chigger bites between my knees and my ankles.”  That did it.  The Martens family began to scratch and count chigger bites in the darkness of our cabin.  That year Sue and Janice paddled over to the other side of the Illinois River holding on to a rubber floatie.  They were doing fine until they encountered a snake and were too frozen with fear to paddle their feet and make it back.  None of the women that were swimming were brave enough to tow them back to shore.  We had to call in the rescue squad!  Then there was the dinner bell that the kids always rang.  One year it was full of bees, and some of the kids got stung.  There was always the big fight–fighting over whose turn it was to swim in the pool. 
 
Ruth Marrs and Orpha Briggs would get up early in the morning and cook eggs, bacon, biscuits, and make gravy for those who got up in time for breakfast!  Early rising isn’t in fashion any more, but it was good to see some breakfast still hanging around when I got there at 10 AM on Saturday morning.  We ate at the motel in Tahlequah, but thanks to whoever continued that tradition!
 
My daughter, Sondra Clark, has had the privilege of attending many Reunions and has thoroughly enjoyed them.  Stephanie, Sondra, Heather, and Gaylyna were cohorts.  (Unfortunately this year Sondra was unable to attend, because my granddaughter, Allison, started kindergarten last Wednesday.)  Sondra has two not-so-pleasant memories.  One is when she was playing Marco Polo and ran into the side of the pool.  Her front tooth broke off close to the gum.  We saved the tooth, it was bonded on, and has stayed to this day.  Another unpleasant memory is when a bottle rocket went through the sleeve of her brand new purple bath robe as she was leaving the pool.  (It seems as though some of the boys were extra anxious to run the girls out of the pool so that they could swim.)  Grandma Martens saved the day by cutting the sleeve down from full to ¾ to salvage the robe.  Sondra has many happy memories to offset these memories.  (In fact, I think she can actually laugh about the bottle rocket now.)
 
The last couple of years at Reunion I’ve thought about the newest Jones generation.  What are they going to face in life?  I see the younger kids playing together, and it reminds me of not only times past, but of the future.  “A baby is God’s way of saying that the world must go on.” 
Last year I watched as Allison played with her contemporaries—Gaylyna’s and Stephanie’s girls.  It amused me to view their similarities (and differences) to each other and to their parents (and grandparents).  Sometimes you can catch a glimpse of the past in their physical features, their facial expressions, their mannerisms, and their personalities.  You know, we’re all different, yet we all have at least kinship in common.  Would that we could become as little children, set aside any differences and just enjoy the opportunity to be together for a few hours.
 
When I look at the large picture of the Dexter Jones Clan that was taken when I was 4-5 years old (before the death of Granddad and Grandma Jones), I think of what my Mother (Rachel Jones Martens) told me.  She said that Grandma Jones knew that would be the last time that the family would be all together and that she specifically asked the family to be sure and stay together and have reunions.  We can’t all make it every year, but let’s try to attend when we can.  Attendance for some may be harder than for others.  Those who have heavy workloads and tight schedules might have to put the date on your calendar now and make a commitment to set aside other demands on your time for at least one day.  For others who live out of state, it might mean a commitment of 4-5 days to include travel time.  For a few, it may mean tightening the belt a little and using more coupons for groceries or saving change all year—all with the goal of making it to reunion.
 
We have such a wonderful heritage.  Our spiritual heritage and the solidness of our roots are far greater legacies than inheriting money.  Our background gives us a spiritual legacy that we should all build upon.  Being a part of the family of God gives us eternal life and a longing for heaven so that we can see Him face to face.  Being a part of this great earthly family gives us a sense of belonging and a network of relatives to support us on earth until God calls us home.  We grieve together when one of us dies, and we rejoice together as another life enters the Jones family.  The longer I live, the more I realize the importance of family.  Jobs come and go, neighbors come and go, money comes and goes, but the family helps hold us together here on earth!  We turn to our family during births, deaths, and the crises that come to all of us. 
 
Let’s revive our closeness.  Through modern technology, we can do it through posting stories and pictures to the website and through email communications.  We can see each other by attending the annual Family Reunion and the Thanksgiving get together whenever possible.  An old-fashioned phone call or letter would be great for those who have the time.  (Which reminds me to thank those of you who have been keeping in touch with Mom and Dad.)