This is the view from the cave. It's a perfect resting place for John. It's so peaceful and beautiful.
The cement cap at the entrance of the cave.
This was walking up to the cave the day that is was dedicated. This was an amazing morning where we were all able to find a lot of peace.
Last October at Grandpa's funeral
on campus with John at University of Virginia last May
At Mikes wedding last December
at my wedding
At John's wedding. He was so happy that day.
Snowboarding in college with John
Goofy Goober's before Josh left on his mission.
I'm fighting back the tears as I try to write this. There are tears of gratitude and tears of sadness. It's so hard to look back and to see how quickly your life can change, and to see things you may have taken for granted. Thanksgiving this year is one that has changed my life. As painful as it is, I know that this change can be for the better if I let it and if I give my heart and trust to the Lord. He is all knowing and his plan for us is perfect, whether we understand it or not. There are so many things to rejoice in, so I've been trying to let my focus be as these words of Ammon in Alma 26 "Now have we not reason to rejoice? yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has ALL POWER, ALL WISDOM, AND ALL UNDERSTANDING, AND HE COMPREHENDETH ALL THINGS, AND HE IS A MERCIFUL BEING...
I just know that these words are what John would want me to be feeling. He loved the Lord with all his HEART, MIGHT, MIND, AND STRENGTH and I know that he wouldn't want us to be sad at his loss. He would would want us to rejoice in the Lord for His goodness. John would want us to put our trust in the Lord and recommit ourselves to living a more Christ like life so that we can be blessed with His comfort and mercy. I know that the pain that we feel is a necessary part of mortality. In order to experience the JOY of seeing him again, I know that we must experience this darkness and sorrow at his loss.
I do know that God is all-knowing and that he does not make mistakes, and that he does have a clear and sure plan for us. I know I will never understand why. However, I know that I must trust in this truth. Everything has a purspose, and God will provide and never abandon us in our time of need.
I recieved a phone call the morning before Thanksgiving informing me that John had gotten stuck in the Nutty Putty Caves. He was in Utah for the week with Emily and Lizzy to spend time with family and had gone with three of my other brothers, along with other family members and friends. Josh had talked about going to these caves with everyone for sometime. Caving is something all of my brothers have done. They had a permit and maps and were prepared to have a safe and fun time.
When I was told that John had been stuck all night in the cave I immediately fell to me knees in prayer and in tears for what I could only imagine he was going through. The day went on with no progress as I paced the floors of my apartment holding my phone and watching the clock as the hours passed. That day was full of worry and fear. When I prayed I felt peace, which I thought meant that John would be ok. In my head, there just wasn't another option. If Heavenly Father was going to take care of someone, it was John. I did know, that whatever happened it would be according to God's will. If he was supposed to come out of that cave, then I know that he would have. Just knowing John, I know that he himself had enough faith to walk out of there alive. I know that God can move mountains, and I know that He would have if it was His plan.
I wanted so badly to be in Utah with my family, but was waiting for Seth to get off work so we could go. It felt like a small miracle that we could even go to Utah for Thanksgiving since Seth's rotation had told him that it wasn't a holiday for them, but then come Monday they just randomly decided to let him have the weekend off. He was the only student there of 6 that they let have off. My heart was torn at the thought of not being able to go. I was so excited to see John and Emily. I had been chatting with John on gmail several times in the weeks before just talking about it. I loved our conversations and hearing his excitement about Emily being pregnant and hearing his stories of Lizzie.
That day was a very faith-trying day, with many up and down emotions. Everything just seemed to keep going wrong and every hour that passed, my hope seemed to diminish... but until I got the call that night from my Dad I couldn't fathom anything other than John being ok. I felt numb when my Dad told me. I felt my heart rip open, but it took a while for me to actually react. It just felt like it couldn't be real. I wanted to leave immediately from my Grandma's and make the rest of the trip but decided that wouldn't be wise so early in the morning. I didn't sleep much that night. Instead I found myself on the kitchen floor sobbing and pleading with Heavenly Father to give me understanding peace. I felt an utter darkness and despair. As the hours went on, I slowly felt my heart come back together as the darkness dissipated. I felt peace and hope which I know can only come through the comforting gift of the holy ghost. I gained so much strength from my family. They were absolutely amazing as we pulled together to make funeral arrangements. It all still feels like it was a bad dream, but it was really the most faith promoting, spiritual experience of my life as I gave my trust and will to the Lord.
My family was blessed to see so many tender mercies of the Lord in this tragic event that further testify that it was not an accident, but a part of God's plan from the beginning. I feel so blessed that I got to have John as my brother for 28 years. With us being 15 months apart, we definitely got to see the best and worst in each other, but he has always been someone that I looked up to and admired. I will treasure our memories together... that trace back to making him mad by singing "John Jacob Jingle Hymer Jones", going to senior prom with his friend, spending 11 days with him Ecuador, snowboarding, making goals together after our missions, and watching him master Dance Dance Revolution in Va(it was hilarious)... to talking about our kids and hearing stories of him staying up for hours at night with Lizzie in one arm sucking on his thumb with a text book in the other arm. I will always remember going to Charlottesville in April and staying with him and Emily and going on a tour with him of University of Virginia, and then seeing him again in August for Spencer's wedding celebration. I just wish I could have known that that was the last time I would see him in this life. I'm just grateful that he always made it to family events, no matter the distance and no matter the stress and demands of school. Seth, Lincoln and I got to meet John at the airport in S.F. and commute together for all the wedding events. I'll treasure that extra time with him.
I know that John is happy, and that makes me happy. He has changed my life forever just by being the person that he was. He's my brother and my friend. I wish everyone could have known him. He was the most Christ like person that I know. I miss him terribly and there will always be a hole in my heart and in our family without him, but I can't help but be thankful that he is a part of our family and that we will be with him again. I'm so thankful for Emily as well, and that he had her. I had never seen him be happier than he was with her and with being a Dad. I know his life could not have been complete without them. I find strength in her example of faith and courage. She, Lizzie, and the baby will bless our family always.
This is a copy of our family statement and if you want to read more about John you can go to his website: JohnJonesMemorial.com
Family Statement:
Thursday, November 26, 2009 at 5:24pm
Our beloved husband, father, son, brother, and friend John Edward Jones was pronounced dead at 11:57PM last night at the Nutty Putty Cave in Utah County. He was twenty-six years old. He is survived by his wife, Emily Dawn Petersen Jones and baby daughter Elizabeth Dawn Jones. Emily and John just found out recently that they are also expecting their second child in June of next year. John’s parents, Leon and Cherie Jones, live in Stansbury Park. John has four brothers, Aaron, Michael, Spencer, and Josh, and two sisters, Cherie and Maria, as well as sixteen nieces and nephews – all of whom miss him tremendously.
John was born and raised in St. George, Utah, where he graduated from Dixie High School. After graduating high school, John enrolled at Brigham Young University prior to serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Quito, Ecuador, following which he returned to and graduated from BYU. It was at BYU where he met his sweetheart, Emily, and they were married in 2006. John was currently in his second year of medical school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He planned and was working toward becoming a Pediatric Cardiologist. John had come home to Stansbury Park for Thanksgiving and had looked forward to enjoying the holiday surrounded by his wife, daughter, family and friends.
John was a remarkable person who strived to experience every good thing in life and achieve excellence in every thing he did. We remember John foremost for his good nature, delightful sense of humor, strong work ethic, a genuine love of people, a masterful ability to relate to children, a love of and unwavering faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and his commitment to his family as an amazing husband, father, son and brother. No matter how busy his day, how heavy his load, he always had time for his family and his scriptures. He was an incredible example to all of us. John’s loves also included basketball, BYU athletics, medicine, camping, reading, and teaching his daughter “Lizzie” how to growl like her Uncle Mike. He had a passion for missionary work in the church and had served in various positions of leadership.
John’s last twenty-four some hours were spent trapped in a dark, tight crevice deep within the Nutty Putty Cave. John loves the outdoors and, along with his brothers, had a strong sense of adventure. And he had explored many caves and maneuvered his way through many tight spaces before. But this time was different. John unexpectedly found himself head-first, upside down, up against a dead-end, completely immobilized, unable to get himself out. We know he fought with all he had to persevere and not lose hope across those long twenty-four hours, and many on the search and rescue team noted his remarkable good spirits and resilience until the end.
We would like to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to the brave, dedicated, and selfless men and women – many of whom were volunteers – who we know did all they could to get John out. We are told nearly one hundred personnel – including sheriffs, firemen, paramedics, cavers, and other rescue workers – were involved with the search and rescue operation, and we are deeply thankful for the compassion and care they showed John and our family – even to the point of singing John primary songs to help get him through the night.
There are simply too many people for us to give each the individual thanks they deserve. But we would like to specifically thank Sergeant Tom Hodgson, Deputy Collin Gordon, and Lieutenant John Valentine with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, who coordinated a huge rescue operation that involved agencies from all along the Wasatch Front -- including medical personnel from the Goshen and Santaquin Fire Departments, the Orem Fire Department, Provo Fire Department, Pleasant Grove Fire Department, Goshen Ambulance, Santaquin Ambulance, and the Salt Lake County Task Force 2, which included the Murray Fire Department, Midvale Fire Department, Sandy Fire Department, West Valley City Fire Department, Bluffdale Fire Department, West Jordan Fire Department, and South Jordan Fire Department. Additionally, we thank the equipment crews with their technical and confined space rescue expertise, as well as the many cavers who also assisted – including members of the Timpanogos Grotto, Utah Caving Association, and Utah Cave Rescue. To each and everyone of you, on this Thanksgiving day especially, we are touched and indebted to you for all your efforts to bring John home.
A memorial service will be held for John this Saturday, November 28th, at 11AM at the Stansbury Park Stake Center, 417 East Benson Road in Stansbury Park, Utah. In lieu of flowers, we ask that a contribution be made to the Emily and John Jones Memorial Fund at either Wells Fargo Bank or Utah Community Credit Union, or to the Emily Jones Children Donation at Zions National Bank (you can donate by calling or visiting any branch of any of these banks). Or you can also donate directly via the link at the website that has been established in John's honor: www.johnjonesmemorial.com. Please also post your stories, pictures, and condolences regarding John on this website.
We thank the community for the tremendous outpouring of love and support that we have received during this hard time. We’ll never fully understand how or why it was John’s time to leave us. But we find comfort in knowing that he fulfilled his purpose here on Earth, and that we will be reunited with him again. Thank you, and God bless all of you on this Thanksgiving Day.
