Clyde "Leonard" Jones

Mr. Clyde "Leonard" Jones, 86, of Advance, NC passed away Thursday, October 16, 2025 at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home. He was born February 26, 1939 to the late Clyde and Marie Jones. Leonard was a member of Advance United Methodist Church. In 1964, he and his wife, Mary Nell, started Jones Landscaping & Nursery which they ran until 1987 when their son, Alan, took over the landscaping division while they concentrated on the nursery operations. Leonard enjoyed getting his hands dirty. He had a 40 acre tree farm and propagated 14 new varieties of hostas which he found creative ways to name after his grandchildren. After retiring from the nursery business, his hobbies included growing grapes & scuppernongs and grafting walnut trees to make two varieties grow from the same tree. Leonard and Mary Nell were business partners as well as life partners. Their vacations often revolved around attending hosta and other nursery conventions. They took many bus trips and eventually visited all 50 states. Both of them were strong advocates of the mentally disabled due to their Down's Syndrome child, Gary. He enjoyed fishing, especially flounder-gigging at the Outer Banks. He loved walking & riding over the farm. He was proud of his family and spent as much time as possible playing with his grandkids and visiting with his brothers and sister. Surviving are his wife of 66 years, Mary Nell Jones; four children, Gary Jones, Alan Jones (Lori), Anne Beall (Greg) and Janna Watson (Lennie); eight grandchildren, Julie McCandless (Jeff), Zeb Jones (Brooke), Jennie Harrington (Houston), Halley Weatherman, Shelby Juergensen (Jayden), Jason Watson, Alan Michael Watson and Zachary Watson; three great-grandchildren, Zoey and Nora McCandless and Nellie Harrington; one sister, Marlene Howell; three brothers, Dallas Jones (Connie), Nelson Jones (Jane) and David Jones (Ruthie) and numerous nieces and nephews. A graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at Advance United Methodist Church with Rev. Christopher Key officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in the church fellowship hall. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either Trellis Supportive Care, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103 or Advance United Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, PO Box 2021, Advance, NC 27006. Hayworth-Miller Kinderton Chapel is serving the Jones family. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.