Larry Jones

Larry Anderson Jones, 75, of Austin, Arkansas passed away peacefully on April 13, 2020, with his wife, Janice, by his side.  Larry was born on June 12, 1944, in Des Arc, Arkansas to John A. and Cecil M. Jones.  Larry is survived by his wife of 53 years, Janice; his daughter Dee Dee Lantz of Conway; his daughter and son-in-law, Lorie and James Cooper of Mascoutah, Illinois; four grandchildren, Greg Pruett, Jr. of Austin, Jordan (Tim) McQuary of Ward, Nathan Cooper and Ryan Cooper of Mascoutah, Illinois; three great-grandchildren, Aydan, Alleah and Charley Marie McQuary of Ward; his older sister Shirley Metcalf of Richland, Washington; his baby brother David Jones of Lonoke; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Jaunita and Jerry Horn of Cabot; and a whole host of nieces, nephews and friends who loved him dearly.  Larry was preceded in death by his parents, brother Dexter Jones, sisters Leona Jenks, Bethie Joan and Agnes Jones, and his brother-in-law Larry Johnson.

Larry was born and raised in Des Arc, Arkansas.  He graduated from Des Arc High School in 1963.  Larry enlisted in the United States Army National Guard where he served our country from 1964 to 1968. Larry grew up farming and continued farming until 1976 when he began his career in law enforcement with the Des Arc Police Department and attended the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy.  In 1978, Larry joined the Prairie County Sheriff’s Department as a Deputy Sheriff where he served the amazing people of the county.  In 1982, Larry joined the Lonoke County Sheriff’s office where he served as a Deputy Sheriff and was eventually named Chief Deputy by former Sheriff J.O. Isaac.  Larry retired from law enforcement in 1997.  Larry was passionate about serving the citizens of Lonoke County and was a fair and impartial public servant.

Larry was also a baseball player and “super” fan of the game.  During his younger years, Larry played with a weekend baseball team in his hometown. He was a life long fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and was so very excited when his daughter, Lorie, moved to the St. Louis area and was able to attend a few of the games during the big home run contest between Mark

McGwire and Sammy Sosa.  He passed on his love of the game and of the Cardinals to his daughters.

The family would like to thank the medical staff at CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center in Little Rock for their care and compassion shown to Larry, Janice, Dee Dee and Lorie during the last three weeks of Larry’s life.  The family would also like to thank the staff at Greystone Nursing and Rehabilitation in Cabot for the wonderful care and treatment shown to Larry when he was in and out of rehab the past several months as well as the staff with Care IV, Inc. in Little Rock who provided his home health care while he was at home.

A memorial service to celebrate Larry’s life will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made in Larry’s honor to a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Beagle Base Camp.  Donations can be made through PayPal at PayPal.me/beaglebasecamp or by check to Beagle Base Camp, 1238 McNutt Road, Conway, Arkansas 72034.