MARGARET (PEGGY) JONES

Funeral services were held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at Cypress Fairbanks Funeral Home of Houston for former longtime Kilgore resident Margaret (Peggy) Jones, 87.

Peggy passed away last Thursday with her family at her side after a brief illness. She will be buried at the Houston National Cemetery following the service.

She and her husband John Paul Jones moved to Kilgore in 1946 after his discharge as a Naval officer in World War II. They lived in Kilgore for more than 55 years before moving to Houston in 2001.

Both were active in the First Baptist Church, where she taught a senior girls Sunday school class for many years. She also sang in the church choir, was part of a women¿s trio and also was a featured soloist during special programs.

Though perhaps few knew, she was a talented artist who painted in oils and sketched in pastels and many of her works still hang in both her home and those of her children.

After J.P. retired in 1989 as chief financial officer of the Kilgore News Herald after more than 40 years, they bought a trailer and travelled extensively through 48 of the United States and also visited Canada, Mexico and New Zealand--a source of great enjoyment and tons of slides.

She is survived by J.P., her husband of 64 years, and her three children--all of whom graduated from KHS-- son Mike Jones of DeSoto and twin daughters Deborah Moore of McKinney and Barbara Cook of Houston as well as their spouses Sue Ellen Jones, Phil Moore and Ken Cook.

Also granddaughters Tracy Buchanan and Tiffni Blake and her husband Matt, grandsons Richard Claypool and Lee Michael Claypool and his wife Jenn; and greatgrandchildren Jonathan, Kaitlyn and Rebecca Blake.