Kenneth (Kenny) John Jones, 93, of Warrensburg, Missouri, died Monday, Nov. 20, at his home.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home with Elder Floyd Hursh and Elder Scott Norwood of the Community of Christ Church officiating. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until service time at the funeral home.

Honorary pallbearers will be Coy Jones, Randy White, Vern Godfrey, Jerry Swisher, Wayne Swisher, Gary McKee and Ron Riddle.

Kenny was born Oct. 9, 1924, in Mayview, Missouri, to Roy E. Jones and Pearl Fox Jones. He attended elementary school at Foster School, a one-room rural school. Kenny graduated from Farmers High School in 1942. Having received a baseball scholarship, Kenny attended Missouri Valley College in 1943 where he played collegiate baseball.

In January 1944, Kenny was inducted into the U.S. Navy and attended boot camp at Ferragut, Idaho. Kenny served in the South Pacific on the troop transport USS General ET Collins and the seaplane tender USS Greenwich Bay before being discharged on April 23, 1946. After the atomic bomb was dropped, he was at Hiroshima, the first city in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon.

After his military service, Kenny worked for Wagener Tree Service and Sullivan Service Station.

In 1948, Kenny signed his first professional baseball contract as a catcher with the Cleveland Indians baseball organization. There would be nine more yearly contracts to sign. He was selected Rookie of the Year in 1948. Kenny was voted to play in the All Star Game each year he played. He was also voted the Most Popular Player by the fans. He was known for his speed, endurance, and hard work ethic, catching both ends of a double header on hot Sunday afternoons. Growing up, the joy of his life was playing baseball around the community with his brother Lee Roy who was a pitcher. He remained an avid baseball fan throughout his life.

Kenny married Shirley Marr in 1951. They began married life on the baseball circuit in the summer and in Warrensburg during the winter where he worked for Marr and Sons Construction Co. After retiring from baseball in 1958, Kenny built and ran one of the first BQ restaurants in Warrensburg called Ken’s BQ. He later worked for Swisher Mowers.

Kenny enjoyed life, especially time spent with his family at the family lake house, catching fish for the yearly fish fries and spending time with his beloved dog, MoMo. He loved watching sports on TV, working in his garden and doing yard work. Attending Royals baseball games was special with the highlight being a surprise 90^th birthday party at Kauffman Stadium.

He was a member of the Community of Christ Church where he could be found in the kitchen preparing for potlucks and other events. In his younger years, he served as door greeter at church, delivered Meals on Wheels, volunteered at the Food Center, and helped the American Legion on bingo night. He was also a member of the American Legion Post 131 and the Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks Lodge 673.

He is survived by his wife, Shirley, and daughter, Cindy, of the home; sons, Ken Jones and wife, Karen, of Overland Park, Kansas; Steve Jones of Lee’s Summit; and Randy Jones and wife, Jeanie, of Warrensburg; his grandchildren, Brett Jones of Warrensburg, Timmy Alten and wife, Erica, of Columbia, Missouri; and Cody Allen and wife, Rachel, of Breckenridge, Colorado; his great-grandchildren, Isabella Jones, of Blue Springs; Savannah Alten and Hendrix Alten, of Columbia; and Donavyn Allen, Jorja Allen and Harper Allen of Breckenridge. Also surviving is a sister-in-law, Wanda Jones, of Concordia, a niece and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy E. Jones and Pearl C. Jones, and a brother, Lee Roy Jones.

 

Memorial contributions are suggested to the Community of Christ Church or the American Legion Baseball Program and can be left in care of the funeral home.

Online condolences may be left at www.sweeneyphillipsholdren.com.