Clara (Duggan) Jones, daughter of the late Alfred and Chlora (Buhler) Duggan, was born June 5, 1935, in Mansfield, Missouri, and departed this life December 28, 2023, at Autumn Oaks Caring Center in Mountain Grove, Missouri. She was 88 years, 6 months, and 23 days of age.
Clara was united in marriage to Rabron Jones on September 25, 1954, and three children were born to this union: Teresa, Marsha, and Michael. After their marriage, Clara and Rabron moved to Kansas City, Missouri, for a brief time. They purchased a farm north of Mansfield, Missouri, in 1955, and then moved down to the farm in 1956.
Clara started her working career at the Mansfield Five and Dime, and then went on to work at various factories. She worked at Brown Shoe Company for 30 years until it closed. Clara then fulfilled her lifelong dream of getting her GED. At the end of her career, she retired from Wal-Mart in Mountain Grove, Missouri.
The family farm was a big part of Clara’s life. She helped with the milking and raising of beef cattle, chickens, and pigs. When there was hay to be baled or any other farm work to be done, she was at her husband’s side.
Clara made a profession of faith in Christ at Mansfield Assembly of God Church. She and Rabron attended Caudle Church in Norwood, Missouri, for many years as long as their health permitted.
Clara had many talents including sewing clothes for her family, putting out a garden every year, and crocheting all sorts of things. When she moved to Country Living Assisted Living, her newest hobby became puzzles. She and her friend, Jean, spent many hours working on puzzles and they even had some framed to decorate their apartments and their friends’ apartments.
Clara will always be remembered for making her famous doughnuts for church dinners, family get-togethers, funerals, or any other special occasion. She was also known for her popcorn balls. It wasn’t Halloween until she made popcorn balls for all of the neighborhood kids and parents.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her loving husband, Rabron Jones, on January 9, 2019, and by her six siblings, Genevive Fry, Evelyn Mace, Leonia Ward, Marvin Duggan, Margie Gross, and Louise Box.
She is survived by two daughters, Teresa Simpson and her husband, Russ, and Marsha Freeman and her husband, Clay, both of Mountain Grove, Missouri, one son, Michael Jones and his wife, Debbie, of Mansfield, Missouri, thirteen grandchildren, Stephanie Guinn and her husband, Chris, Jessica Williams and her husband, Michael, Tyler Williams and his wife, Jaclyn, Shyla Simpson, Brent Simpson, Sarah Forrest and her husband, Shane, Heath Jones and his wife, Shana, Racquel Rosenthal and her husband, Jonathon, Aaron Kilfoy, Brandon Kilfoy, Chaston Kilfoy, Zalyn Jones, and Carsyn Jones, thirteen great-grandchildren, Mackenzie, Kyndra, Trinity, Haylee, Christian, Kielee, Levi, Galilee, Bryar, Trenton, Weston, Brock, and Maddox, two great-great-grandchildren, Rilynn and Kenai, and many nephews, nieces, extended family and friends who will miss her.
