CAROL JONES

1954 - 2020

Carol Lynn
(Gardner) Jones
Oct. 12, 1954 - Nov. 18, 2020

LINDSAY
Carol Lynn (Gardner) Jones died Nov. 18, 2020, at her longtime home in Lindsay. She was 66.
She slipped away suddenly and peacefully after a seven-year battle with multiple system atrophy. She fought through the rare neurological disorder with the same quiet dignity, grace and courage that she lived the rest of her life.
Carol was born Oct. 12, 1954, in Fairfax to Frank and Phyllis Gardner. She spent much of her childhood in Osage County, where she learned to ride horses and race barrels at a young age.
She graduated from Seneca High School in Seneca, Missouri, in 1972 and attended East Central University in Ada, where she met her future husband, Dale Jones.
Dale and Carol were married on July 13, 1973 - lucky Friday the 13th - in Lindsay, where they raised two daughters and cofounded Dale Jones Farms as equal partners.
Carol was a respected trailblazer in the local farming community: She could cut the straightest wind rows of hay in the county, drive tractors and grain trucks for hours on end, tend cattle and keep the books, all while caring for her action-packed children, and later, her beloved grandchildren.
She was an essential member of Murray Hill Church of Christ in Lindsay for 43 years. She became well-known in the community for her unassuming beauty, kindness and generosity.
She was a voracious reader, an avid tennis fan and a stalwart supporter of her spouse, children and grandchildren.
Carol was preceded in death by her father, Frank Gardner, in 2013.
She is survived by her husband of 47 years, Dale Jones, of the home; daughter, Brandy McDonnell and husband Patrick, of Lindsay; daughter, Desty Davis and husband Glenn, of Lindsay; six grandchildren, Christopher McDonnell, of Broken Arrow; Gabriel, Brenna and Kyla McDonnell, of Lindsay; and Ian and Alec Davis, of Lindsay; mother, Phyllis Gardner, of Wynnewood; brother, Jim Gardner and wife Tonie, of Piedmont; and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Private funeral services are at 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23 at Murray Hill Church of Christ, with a public graveside service to follow at Lindsay's Green Hill Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Boydston-Wilbourn Funeral Home.