Paul Douglas Jones

1964 - 2023

Paul Douglas Jones, 59, was born June 8, 1964, in Wichita, Kansas as Richard Wayne Blackwood II to Richard and Deana Blackwood. He passed away on Aug. 2, 2023, at Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility in Bolivar, surrounded by friends. Paul was born with no arms, dislocated hips, and turned feet. Richard and Deana did their best to raise Paul but after three months decided it was in Paul's best interest to turn him over to the state so they could find someone to provide better care for him.
When Paul was thirteen months old, he was placed in the foster care system. A nice couple, Owen and Lura Jones became his foster parents. Owen and Lura already had biological sons, Larry and Sam along with several other children they fostered. Owen and Lura adopted two of their foster daughters, Rita and Theda-Ruth. Paul's adoption was official in 1977, when he was 13 years old.
Paul's father, Owen, worked for the Burlington Northern Railroad in Kansas City as a railroad engineer. His mother, Lura, stayed home to raise their children. Paul mentioned a sweet relationship with Lura, where her dedication to his medical care was evident and he "loved her to pieces." They lived in Emporia, Kansas, during this time. His mother made many trips with Paul to Kansas University Medical Center to have hip surgeries, foot corrections, and other medical care. Owen and Lura were in their 50s when they adopted Paul, so his sister, Theda-Ruth, who was fifteen years older than Paul also helped raise him.
Paul walked at age four, rode a bike and go-cart as a teen and learned to drive a stick shift in a VW Beetle with a special clutch. Paul attended Kindergarten through sixth-grade at Butcher Elementary School which was on the campus of Emporia State Teachers College in Emporia, Kansas. After sixth-grade his family moved to Arkansas; in seventh and eighth-grade he was enrolled in a Christian school. He later dropped out of eighth-grade and took correspondence classes until they moved to Tescott, Kansas. For his junior and senior years, he decided he wanted to go back to public school at Tescott High School and graduated in 1984. After graduation, he moved to Salina, Kansas to attend Kansas Wesleyan University.
During Paul's freshman year at KWU, Theda-Ruth, became very sick with leukemia while living in Forsyth. Paul's parents made numerous trips from Tescott to Forsyth to pick up Theda-Ruth and drive her to her appointments in Columbia, and back again. He knew repetitive trips were taxing for his family and he wanted to support his sister, so Paul decided to move to Missouri and enroll at Drury College in Springfield. He graduated with a business administration degree in 1989. Paul's sister, Theda-Ruth, sadly passed away from leukemia in 1985.
During his time at Drury, the head of the computer department recognized Paul's high skill level and love for computer programming. He shared this information with the upper management at Micro-Magic Systems in Bolivar, which was an insurance software company. Shortly after, in 1989, Paul became a computer programmer for Micro-Magic. He loved this job for many years. Sadly, Paul began experiencing health complications and opted for early retirement after fourteen years with the company. He chose to stay in Bolivar due to all the friends he had made along the way.
Paul was always engaging and determined to be as independent as possible throughout his whole life. He learned to do almost everything with his feet including driving a car, assembling his own computer, and redesigning his electric chair for complete foot control. He was proud that his only adaptation for driving was a seat cushion and a wooden block connected to the sole of a flip-flop for reaching the pedals. Paul embodied the spirit of a person who didn't allow his health conditions to keep him from enjoying what life had to offer.
Over the years, Paul enjoyed flying radio-controlled airplanes, which he said turned out to be "an expensive hobby." One of his planes had a 7-foot wingspan. He joined a radio-controlled airplane club in Springfield, and accomplished many difficult plane maneuvers. He also enjoyed being outside and flying his drone or racing RC cars.
Paul had a wonderful time visiting and traveling with family and friends. Some of his favorite trips were to Orlando and Disney with his niece and her family, Merritt Island, Florida, and day trips to Daytona. His claim to fame was that he was almost hit by Kyle Petty while at the Daytona 500. Another memorable trip was in Springfield, where two friends gave him a birthday present flight. During the flight, he was allowed to actually control the aircraft.
In February 2023, after a diagnosis of terminal cancer, Paul moved into CMHCF. As with every obstacle Paul faced, he took each step-in stride. His positive attitude washed over the entire facility and spread throughout the staff and residents. He wasn't 'trying' to change anyone, but his positivity continued to affect all those he was around. Paul had a challenging life journey, and he graciously handled most circumstances he had been given. He had peace knowing he had a personal relationship with Christ and was going to Heaven.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Owen and Lura Alice Felton Jones, his sister Theda-Ruth Jones and his brother, Larry Carl Jones.
His surviving siblings; Sam and Hong Jones, Rogers, Arkansas; Rita and the late Mitchell McCorkle of Manhattan, Kansas; Mary and Rick Careyette of Oxnard, California; Cathy English of Portland, Oregon; Larry-Gene and Kathy Jones Jackson of Admire, Kansas. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Matthew and Olivia Jones of Springdale, Arkansas; Angie and Steve Bodie of Atlanta, Georgia; Mischale and Brian DeShazer of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Candace and Patrick Cunningham; Jeremy and Kimmee Schenck; Michael Jones, Raymond Jones, Hannah Jones, Michael McCorkle, Richard McCorkle, Joseph McCorkle, James McCorkle, and Desiree McCorkle. His surviving great nieces and nephews: Nathaniel Jones, Alexander Jones, Nathan and Miranda DeShazer of Seattle, Washington; Cassidy Schenck and Morgan Schenck.
Paul will be missed by family and friends. We are all thankful his pain from the cancer is gone and he is in Heaven with our Father. His Celebration of Life will be held Friday, August 11, at 6:00 p.m. at the Bolivar Municipal Airport, Bolivar.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the CMHCF Resident Special Projects Fund.