Robert G. Jones

Robert G. "Bob" Jones, age 88, of Louisville, Illinois, passed away at 5:06 a.m., Monday, September 29, 2025, at Lakeland Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Effingham, Illinois.

Bob was born December 6, 1936, in Marion County, Illinois, the son of John Paul and Gladys (Logan) Jones. On October 18, 1957, he married Erma Kay Smith at the Louisville Christian Church. Together they shared nearly 68 years of marriage.

Bob was the owner and operator of Robert G. Jones Trucking in Louisville for decades. He hauled rock, grain, and gravel, but his true calling was spreading limestone. There's hardly a square inch of Clay County he didn't cover in his trucks. Alongside his trucking business, he owned and operated school buses for the North Clay School District. Over the years, he hauled several generations of kids to school, on field trips, and to sporting events-always with the same steady hand and dry humor.

Bob also served on the Board of Directors of Wabash Communications for more than 20 years, helping guide the cooperative through times of growth and change.

After retiring in 2000, Bob stayed busy. He and Erma spent several winters in Florida, and he especially enjoyed attending his grandchildren's sporting events and taking them on golf cart rides. He loved late model car racing and, for a time, delivered trailers across the country.

Bob was a longtime member of North Harter Christian Church. He lived his life with honesty, humor, and dependability-the kind of man you could count on in any situation.

He is survived by his wife, Erma K. Jones of Louisville; three children: Julie (Kelly) Stortzum of Hord, Debbie (Jeff) Cox of Louisville, and Steve (Kim) Jones of Decatur; nine grandchildren: Mandy (Keith) Probst, Kyle (Natalie) Stortzum, Ashley (Casey) Elmore, Lorissa (Ryan) Wolfe, Andrew (Whitney) Cox, Aaron (Kelsey) Cox, Alyse (Connor) Cross, Adam (Morgan) Cox, and Derek Jones; 2 Step-grandchildren: Grant Holt and Olivia Holt; 25 great-grandchildren; two brothers: Marvin (Katherine) Jones and Doug (Liz) Jones; three sisters: Peggy (Bruce) Maybeck, Pat Clevenger, and Vicki (Nyal) Dickey; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; father and mother-in-law Coban and Imogene Smith; brother- and sister-in-law Paul and Fran Smith; sister-in-law Una Colclasure; and great-granddaughter Emalyn Cross.

Funeral services to celebrate Bob's life will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, October 3, 2025, at McGriff Funeral Home in Louisville, with Casey Elmore and Joe Smith officiating. Burial will follow at Orchard Hill Cemetery in Louisville. Visitation will be held Friday from 11:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Bob's memory to the American Cancer Society or to DaVita Dialysis Center in Effingham.

The McGriff Funeral Home in Louisville is honored to be entrusted with the family's care and arrangements. To sign the guestbook online or to share a memory, please visit www.mcgriffandtriplettfh.com.