Donna Maria

Jones

Donna Maria Jones passed away peacefully on October 1, 2026, after an eight-year battle with frontotemporal dementia.

Donna was born on January 12, 1948, in Hazard, Kentucky, where she was raised until she attended Berea Foundation, a boarding school, from eighth through twelfth grade with her cousin, Quinna. After high school, Donna went on to study Elementary Education at Eastern Kentucky University and later earned her master’s degree in counseling.

During her final year of college, a young man moved in next door, and Donna and her roommate, Michelle, may or may not have been caught peeking through the window to get a glimpse of him. That young man was Merrill Jones. Donna and Merrill would eventually marry, eloping to New York City, and begin a life filled with adventure.

For the first six years of their marriage, Donna and Merrill traveled the world as Merrill began his career starting up power plants. Their adventures took them to Guam, Iran, Florida, North Carolina, San Antonio, Longview, and Chicago before they eventually settled in Plano, Texas.

Wherever life took her, Donna found a way to make a difference. She was profoundly drawn to education, and she was never afraid of hard work. In every community they lived, Donna would seek out the local community center to find where she could help. While living in Iran, she taught English at the American School and found that time very enriching. Her passion for teaching eventually became a lifelong career, and she went on to become a successful English as a Second Language teacher in the Plano Independent School District.

But Donna’s greatest lessons were taught at home.

Though she may have been only five feet tall, Donna was a tremendously influential mother. Donna made sure her children understood the importance of education and gave them every opportunity to succeed. She stayed up late helping with homework and patiently working through assignments. She celebrated good grades and accomplishments and made sure her kids knew how proud she was. But she also wasn’t afraid to remind them to strive for greatness.

She encouraged, challenged, supported, and never let anyone give up on themselves. She wasn’t simply helping with homework; she was teaching her children the value of hard work, perseverance, and believing in themselves. So much of what her children have accomplished, both in school and throughout their lives, was possible because Donna was there beside them, encouraging them every step of the way.

And Donna didn’t just tell her family she would be there, she showed them.

There are countless examples of Donna being there when her family needed her, but perhaps none better illustrates who she was than when her daughter Lynsie had three children under the age of two. For 18 months straight, Donna showed up every single day. She helped through the witching hour, bath time, and dinner, then headed home, only to return the next day and do it all over again.

That was Donna: dependable, loving, selfless, and always willing to help.

Her creativity was another part of what made Donna so special. She loved decorating, but she especially loved decorating for Christmas. Fortunately, Merrill was handy and would build scaffolding so Donna could decorate the very top of the Christmas tree. And Donna never had the same Christmas tree two years in a row. Every year brought a new theme, and she poured her creativity and enthusiasm into making the holiday beautiful. She was incredibly talented and may very well be the reason her daughter absolutely loves, and perhaps goes a little overboard, decorating for Christmas.

Donna’s life was defined by the things she gave to others: her time, her knowledge, her encouragement, her creativity, and, most of all, her unwavering presence. She spent her life teaching, first in the classroom, and then through the example she set for her family. She showed those around her what it meant to work hard, keep going, and always be there for the people who matter most.

Donna is survived by her husband, Merrill Jones; her son, Tyler Jones, and his wife, Carlie, and their children, Rae and Laine; her daughter, Lynsie DeCet, and her husband, Dennis, and their children, Cole, Ryane, and Taylor; her brother, Malvin Bailey, and his wife, Patti; and her cousin, but more like a sister, Quinna Hall, and her children, Derrick Hall, and his wife Tammy, and Todd Hall and his wife Lindsay.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Reo Huron, and her brother, Tom Jack Bailey.

Frontotemporal dementia is an aggressive form of dementia for which there is currently no cure. It affects not only those living with the disease, but also the families and caregivers who walk alongside them. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Dementia Society of America or to any charity of your choosing.

The family would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the caregivers at Brookdale Senior Living Collin Oaks, who provided Donna with incredible, compassionate, and personalized care during the final years of her life.

Donna will be remembered for her strength, her generosity, her dedication to education, her love of family, and her ability to make every Christmas a little more magical. Most of all, she will be remembered for the way she showed up for the people she loved, every single day