Donald L Jones

Donald “Don” Lenn Jones died December 30, 2023 in Peoria, Ill following a brief illness. He was 67.

Born in Lawton, Oklahoma to Ruel Jones and Doris Youngblood, Don spent most of his childhood and teenage years in Oklahoma, graduating from Sterling High School in 1974. He then attended Oklahoma Baptist University (Class of 1978), where he met and married Jane Miller. After graduating from OBU, the couple moved to California where Don received a Master of Divinity from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (Now Gateway Theological Seminary of the Southern Baptist Convention.) Don and Jane were appointed as missionaries in 1983 by the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, to serve in Paraguay. In Paraguay Don taught at the Seminario Teológico Bautista del Paraguay and mentored countless pastors inside and outside the classroom. Especially notable was his commitment to learning Guarani, the indigenous language of Paraguay, in order to minister more effectively to Paraguayans in their “heart language.”

After 18 years in Paraguay, Don and Jane returned to the United States, and Don served as associate pastor at First Baptist Church of Muskogee, Okla from 2003-2011. In 2011 the couple were reappointed as missionaries with the International Mission Board. They worked in Africa until 2015, living in Nairobi and traveling around the continent as member care consultants. They then worked briefly in Panama before retiring in 2016. Upon retirement from the IMB, Don became associate pastor at First Baptist Church Moore, OK. Among other duties, he pastored the Spanish language congregation at that church until 2022.

A lifelong learner, Don earned two more graduate degrees: an M.A. from Hardin-Simmons University (1997) and a Doctor of Ministry from Christian Theological Seminary (2005). Although he picked up a wide range of instruments from the accordion to the saxophone, from banjo to ukulele, he was a dedicated student and teacher of guitar. In addition to learning Guarani, he found great joy in studying other languages, including Swahili and German. His motivation for studying languages was the same as his motivation for nearly everything he did: to understand people and their stories. His propensity for striking up conversations with strangers anywhere he went led his oldest granddaughter to tease about “Papa’s friends.” From Nairobi hat salesmen to Peoria hospital techs, he approached everyone with warmth, interest, and humor. Don’s mother, Doris, once remarked to her granddaughter “your father is one of the kindest men I know.”

Don is survived by his wife, Jane, daughters Elizabeth “Liz” Jones (Heidi) and Megan Scott (Russell), two grandchildren, and many other family and friends.