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Stanley Jones Obituary
Jones, Stanley "Stan"
82, of St. Louis, MO, died at his home on Thursday, February 8, 2024 surrounded by loved ones.
Stan was born to Rev. Herman and Pauline (nee Cain) Jones on November 24, 1941 in Zanesville, Ohio. A state-record-breaking track star in high school and college, Stan graduated from Greenville College in 1967. While pursuing graduate coursework at the University of Illinois, Stan worked as a medical illustrator, where he combined his love for art and the biosciences. Always interested in the inner workings of things, he learned to restore old cars while simultaneously developing basic plumbing, electric, and carpentry skills.
In 1974, Stan moved to St. Louis to help a friend renovate his home and fell in love with the architectural history of the city. He soon after started a contracting company, Westminster Builders, which was responsible for rehabilitating over 2,000 units of historic and affordable housing. From 1998 until 2020, Stan continued this work as the Construction Manager for the St. Louis Equity Fund. In his retirement, Stan lobbied the city to create the Grand Center Community Improvement District (CID). He served his city proudly as a Grand Center CID member and board director until his passing.
In 1995, Stan purchased a dilapidated Victorian home in the Grand Center Arts District neighborhood. The restoration of "Judson House," built in 1892 and named after the home's first owner, became Stan's passion project for the next 29 years. Judson House is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In his later years, Stan opened up the Judson House to the St. Louis community, hosting cultural events such as live jazz concerts and gallery shows for local artists.
On February 9, 2024, the St. Louis board of Alderman honored Stan for his contributions to housing preservation and the cultural and artistic welfare of the city.
Stan will be remembered as a loving father, a talented painter, a friend, a mentor, a craftsman, and a great connector of people.
Stan is survived by his partner, Lyn Magee, his daughters Celeste and Alyson Levitz-Jones, his brother Burton Jones, his sister Sharon Hamilton, and countless friends.
Memories and Condolences
for Stanley Jones
Kevin Barry
December 3, 2025
He is missed everyday by family and many, many friends. The world was diminished by losing Stan..
Mathew Irwin. San Diego CA
June 20, 2025
Typically, I'm late to the game- rarely do I talk about my experiences in STL... however... Stan was pretty cool. I offer heartfelt condolences to his partner; though we've never met, and am certain we never will: I live far from STL.
Regardless, Stan encouraged me to seek my educational goals, to travel, and see the world. I was a very different person in my early 20s; a little immature, boisterous & could be difficult to deal with. Stan, Barb, Janese, Frederick, if you're reading this, thank you for showing me how to grow up!
Nevertheless, I will always remember having a beer bust with him & Barb, the neighbors & inviting GCI & the hilarity that ensued. Thanks for the memories, man... may you rest in the peace that you so deserve.
Tee/AAA
February 19, 2025
The genuineness of Stan from moment I arrived to assist him with his battery on his recently purchased SUV I had feelings we'd be friends.
Kevin
February 14, 2025
As long as anyone´s alive who met him he won´t be forgotten.
How you can show support
Kevin Barry
December 5, 2024
Stan Jones was simply one of the best of us. I´d be honored if he considered me a friend. Caio brother.
Audrey Ellermann
December 4, 2024
In loving memory of a wonderful person. Stan we will love you and will miss you always. Thank you for your support for Covenant Blu Grand Center Neighborhood. We will continue your legacy of community service.
Forever in our hearts
Audrey and Michael Ellermann
Teroyn
May 23, 2024
He was a wonderful man. I work for AAA and helped him with a vehicle and he gave me a vehicle. He was a genuine kind and given soul. I back in town just found out he passed and stop to visit.
Frederick Medler
March 7, 2024
A TRIBUTE
TO
STAN (STANLEY) JONES
Stan came to be quite an inspiration to me during the near dozen years after he and his partner at that time, Barb Arris, moved to my former neighborhood in midtown, St. Louis and began the restoration of the historic Judson House in the nineteen nineties. I had been living in the Grand Center neighborhood since late 1978 attending to the slow, methodical restoration of my own beloved home, the historic Stockton House, two blocks further east across Grand Avenue. Stan and Barb, noticing my own endeavors towards improving the neighborhood, introduced themselves. Soon we became good friends. Many a time thereafter Stan and Barb, another rehab neighbor Janese Henry, and myself would periodically gather at one of our homes sipping wine, drinking beer and eating nibbles over much animated conversation. I confess I miss that period of my former city life immensely.
Prior to their moving to Grand Center I had often walked past the Judson House lamenting its tragic fate as a converted office facility, stripped of much of its original elegance and with its entry grounds paved over in asphalt. Researching midtown history and collecting historic photos of that earlier, more elegant residential period I was fortunate to have come across an antique photograph showing how the Judson House handsomely appeared around 1900. The contrast was startling. It had become a sad, depressing, soulless looking building just waiting to be loved and appreciated once again. When this business closed the house sat empty for a period of time and I could not help but be concerned with regards to its ultimate fate - the only grand mansion left standing along Washington Avenue from Grand Center east to downtown St. Louis. The Grand Center Redevelopment organization´s tragic history of tearing down beautiful old historic buildings in the area without thought of long-term consequences naturally left me quite paranoid as to its ultimate fate. But thanks to Stan´s purchase of this fine building, and through his perseverance, hands-on talent for quality craftsmanship and (very) hard work, he leaves behind a restored legacy (and testament) that will continue to inspire and ennoble countess generations to follow. Stan has shown us what can be with regards to the preservation (and celebration) of so much of our surviving, beautiful European-inspired St. Louis architecture. He was a true renaissance man in the more refined traditional sense. Judson House stands today as a renewed expression of the genius of this one singular individual.
Stan was quite the exceptional friend and neighbor. To this day I continue to miss (and value) his counsel, including all those extraordinary Christmas and New Years Eve parties within the state rooms he hosted at Judson House. Furthermore, I miss the many times I was able to help Stan work on his house - and he, in turn, helping me on mine - learning skill sets from Stan that even in my own considerable hands-on experience were unfamiliar to me. His love of the various arts and crafts, and the importance they should always play within the lives of each and every one of us, including his appreciation for history and the necessity of preserving our fine, historic architectural fabric should be some of the key inspirations we should learn from his personal life example.
Stan was that very rare and special gift to both the midtown district of Grand Center, his friends and neighbors and the overall St. Louis community. He was one in a hundred thousand. My heartfelt condolence to his partner, his many friends and neighbors, and his fine family.
Respectfully,
Frederick D. Medler
President & CEO, Urban Design Forum (formerly of Stockton House in Grand Center 1978-2008)
Mound City, Illinois
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