Yvonne Darlene Jones

Yvonne Darlene Jones

San Angelo

If Heaven has a softball team, surely Darlene Jones is there - pitching, of course. Or maybe she is running cross-country, free from the disease that took her from us at age 62.

Darlene Jones always was a good team player. From her birth in Baytown, Texas, on Aug. 7, 1953, to James and Bessie (Fleck) Rose until her death at her residence in San Angelo, Feb. 23, 2016, she loved being with people.

Darlene lived in West Texas and graduated from Water Valley High School in 1971. In high school during football season, she was a twirler. The rest of the time she played all sports but especially enjoyed basketball and track. She was proud of being the youngest member of the San Angelo Tigeroos women's softball team at age 16. An older team member told Darlene she was "good, but not that good." Darlene used that comment to make herself better.

Darlene had a strong work ethic. After high school, she worked at the State School in Carlsbad, at M System under Baugh Lewis and at C&W Foods. Those experiences helped her become the manager of Quick Pantry Foods in Eldorado. In 1981, she opened J&M Grocery in Carlsbad with Patsy McIntire.

Darlene also had a strong streak of entrepreneurial spirit, and a series of business adventures followed for the two. They operated Three-Way Silk Screening, they ran a potato chip route, they sold Kirby vacuum cleaners and they worked for Terminix. In 2003, they opened Bug Express Pest Control in Lubbock, with branches in Midland, Odessa and San Angelo before coming back home to San Angelo, where they wanted to be. They invested their life savings in Bug Express and they said God was good to them - God and San Angelo.

Bug Express started as a small business in San Angelo in 2003. Darlene liked to tell the employees at their Christmas parties that the first year they were in business, there were three employees and they met in a corner booth at Packsaddle. In 2005, they were recognized with San Angelo Chamber of Commerce Diversity Award and in 2014, the Chamber recognized Bug Express as the existing industry expansion award winner.

Not only was Darlene a team player, but she co-owned her own team - the San Angelo Stampede Express Arena Football team. The players, who called Darlene Miz D, loved and respected Darlene and continued to call and text her on Mother's Day and Christmas.

Darlene loved San Angelo and devoted herself to serving on many boards, most recently the Apartment Association Board of Directors, the City Planning Commission, Better Business Bureau and the Civic Events Board. She supported fundraising drives on behalf of many groups. One of her favorite groups to support was the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Premium Sale. Only last weekend she sent Patsy and her daughter, Bridget with money and instructions to support sales at the stock show.

Pallbearers will be Homer Galindo, Michael Counts, Thomas Rose Jr., Blaine Brunson, Jim Rose, Steven Wilha, Karl Rose, Nathaniel "Nat" Rose, Dustin Smith and James Perez.

Honorary pallbearers will be Tony Carr, Beau Carr and Bryce Carr.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Bessie and James Rose.

Darlene is survived by her daughter, Bridget Jones Carr and husband Tony; and grandchildren Beau and Bryce Carr all of Wall; brothers Jim Rose and wife Sharon of Mertzon, Thomas Rose of San Angelo, Ronnie Rose and wife Beverly of Mertzon; and sister Connie Rose Calley and husband Ken of Big Lake. She is also survived by her longtime friend and business partner, Patsy McIntire of San Angelo.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Children's Miracle Network or Hospice of San Angelo.

Family visitation will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, 2016, at Robert Massie Funeral Home.

Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, in Mertzon Cemetery.

Memorial services will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, at the TLC Family Church, 3301 TLC Way, San Angelo, TX, with Walt Landers officiating.