Claudette Cox Jones' Obituary
Claudette was born in 1936 in Kilgore, Texas as the youngest daughter of Osa and Jack Cox’s five children. Her beloved siblings doted on her and were her life long best friends. She was a proud graduate of Kilgore High School and celebrated her friendships and Alma mater through gatherings and reunions throughout her life. She received a Masters degree from Stephen F Austin University and her Bachelors in Business Administration from University of North Texas where she met James Clark Agee, Jr. Jim and Claudette were married from 1957 until his untimely death in 1970. They welcomed daughters Adana and Ami. A beautiful new chapter began in 1973 with Claudette’s marriage to Cassity Jones and the combining of families with the addition of Cassity’s four children- Jan, John, Jim and Jerry. Their inspiring love and devotion to each other lasted for nearly 40 years until Cassity’s passing in 2013. Claudette and Cassity were dedicated partners in all aspects of their life from family to business. Claudette and Cassity greatly enjoyed travel- traveling the globe with the National Lumberman’s Association, family gatherings in Colorado and visiting grandchildren to applaud them in their pursuits in school, on stage or playing field. Any extra time they had was spent dancing, gardening and gathering their family together in their home. Cassity and Claudette worshiped at First United Methodist Church, Longview, and greatly enjoyed the fellowship of the Henry Foster Sunday school class.
Claudette loved a motto and two particularly come to mind as we remember her- Speak, Smile and Say Hello and Why Not Me? Through these mottos she actively pursued opportunities to serve her community on projects encouraging faith, family values, community beautification and literacy. She loved her neighbor and never missed an opportunity to lead the charge to improve her community. She proudly served on the Board of First United Methodist Church of Longview, Good Shepherd Foundation, Goodwill Industries of the Pines and as President of the Board of Directors of Texas Shakespeare Festival Foundation. These civic and social pursuits lead to dozens of awards and accolades that inspired her family to call her “The Woman of the Year After Year”.
In 2018, at the age of 81, Claudette self published a book of her own poetry titled Grandmother’s Garden. We would like to share one piece she wrote which we feel is her personal farewell to all who loved her:
Forget Me Not
Forget me not when I am gone
But remember me with a smile.
The love from you dear family and
friends made my life worthwhile.
God also gave me His love and
More blessings than I can recall.
Looking back over my life, I can say
Without reservations, “I had it all.”
Claudette will be greatly missed by her children Adana Peloubet and husband John (Fort Worth), Ami Cooper and husband Craig (Dallas), Jan Forester and husband Sam (Longview), John Jones and wife Lisa (Tyler), Jim Jones and wife Vicki (Longview) and Jerry Jones and wife Lisa (Tyler). Her legacy lives on through her 14 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. Her family would like to express their gratitude for the dedicated care she received as a resident at The Tradition Clearfork in Fort Worth, especially Marissa Browning, Director of Memory Care. They would also like to thank her daily caregivers from Benevolent Hearts: Taicha Harris, Cynthia Jackson and Markiya Atkins and her end of life care from St. Gabriel’s Hospice and Palliative Care.
Organizations that were particularly important to Claudette were the Texas Shakespeare Festival Foundation and Asbury House Child Enrichment Center where she served for decades. We encourage those who knew her to support these organizations in her memory in lieu of flowers.
There will be a private, family graveside service at a later time.
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