Gayla Jones Obituary
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Gayla was born on March 26, 1964, in Herrin to Dale and Sonnie (Baggott) Gulley. She was united in marriage to the love of her life, Tom Jones on June 28, 1986, at the Royalton First Baptist Church. They shared 39 years of marriage together.
Gayla was a 1982 graduate of Zeigler-Royalton High School. She continued her education at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where she earned her master's degree in Adult and Continuing Education.
Gayla was a longtime teacher at Unity Christian School in Energy and later at Agape Christian High School. She was most recently employed with Scott Evans CPA in Murphysboro as a secretary.
Gayla was a longtime, faithful member of Royalton First Baptist Church, where she played the piano in the worship team for many years. She enjoyed crocheting, cooking and baking, including making her own bread from scratch. She also enjoyed gardening.
She is survived by her husband, Tom Jones of Royalton; three children, Josiah (Anna) Jones of Houston, TX, LeeAnn Jones of Bloomington, IN, and Kassi (Jeremiah) Teal of Marion; mother, Sonnie Gulley of Royalton; sister, Dana (Travis) Stuart of Marion; sisters and brothers-in-law, Lisa Jones of Herrin, Richard (Lori) Jones of Herrin, Betsy (Brian) Delai of Herrin; nieces, Jennifer Savickis, of Indianapolis, IN, Heather Goetsch of Stafford, VA, and Sophia Stuart of Marion, Maria Ogden of Herrin, and Olivia Delai of Herrin; nephews, Zachary Hagstrom-Jones of South Bend, IN, and Alexander Jones of Herrin.
She is preceded in death by her father and infant son, Christian Jones; father and mother-in-law, Cicero and Judy Jones.
Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Royalton Baptist Church.
Funeral service will be 11:00 a.m., Saturday, August 16, 2025, at the church with Pastor Mario Ramos officiating. Interment will follow at Herrin City Cemetery.
Vantrease-Pyle Funeral Home of Royalton is entrusted with the arrangements.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
4 Entries
Dawn Webster
August 18, 2025
Gayla will be missed by so many. She was my closest cousin and oldest friend. Gayla and I were connected by love instead of by blood, but sometimes those ties can be just as strong because they formed by choice rather than by chance. We were apart a most of the time, but every time we came together again, we still felt that connection and could talk like we had never been apart. I am sure that will be the case when she and I reunite in Heaven.
I will miss Gayla because she made me laugh. As kids, we would dress up in her mom´s old prom dresses and roller-skate to Donny Osmund songs in her basement. We made a haunted house in the coal bin and were going to make a fortune charging kids a dime to go in. Our sleepovers were epic. We would talk all night.
As we grew up, our talks became more serious. She was always willing to listen to me prattle on. She would listen patiently, then share her thoughts and feelings with me as well. She knew me, understood me, and kept my secrets.
Gayla let me win arguments and let me be bossy sometimes because she recognized my insecurity and was gracious enough to let me have my way. I learned so much about quiet kindness from her.
I am positive that all who knew Gayla will have countless examples of how her quiet, gentle, way of communicating made a difference in their lives. I am also sure that the calm attitude that she transferred to her inner circle rippled out to countless others.
Kelsey I
August 14, 2025
Gayla always showed compassion, love, and kindness towards not only my son and me, but to every person I saw her come into contact with. She also loved to talk about her family and church with us, bonding over parenting and mutual love of church events. We also both loved a great deal and Aldi trips! She was a bright spot at work and it feels so odd not having her here. My deepest sympathy and prayers go out to her family.
Mary Hargraves
August 14, 2025
Sonny so sorry to hear of Gayla´s passing My heart goes out to you and the rest of the family. Love and prayers. Mary Hargraves.
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