John Michael Jones, an artist and musician overflowing with warmth, humor and kindness, died peacefully on January 14, 2025 at Northwestern Memorial hospital in Chicago surrounded by his family.

Mike was born July 12, 1951 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended high school in Greeley, Colorado where his band, The Precious Few took their music and velveteen suits to a second-place finish in a state-wide Battle of the Bands.

He married Nancy Thomison while attending Northern Colorado State University in Greeley, earning a degree in art education with minor in philosophy and a daughter named Amber. With teaching jobs scarce upon graduation, Mike tried his hand at design with Dillard's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There he created the iconic "repeating D" logo long displayed on the department store's shopping bags. Their daughter Sarah was born in Tulsa.

In the mid-1970s Mike left for Bentonville, Arkansas to work in the advertising department of a then-small company called Wal-Mart. There he attended the infamous (and mandatory) Saturday morning meetings with Sam Walton, clearly a man who did not stay out late enough on Friday nights.

Mike's next stop was Springfield, Missouri where he headed up advertising for Bass Pro Shops before moving to Dallas in 1988 to work at the new JC Penney headquarters in Plano, Texas.

It was while living in Dallas that Mike met Rikki O'Neal at a dinner party with friends. The two quickly realized they both loved music, even enjoying many of the same musicians and having unknowingly attended many of the same concerts. While the women at the affair quickly noticed the sparks between them, the men discussed the quality of the mashed potatoes. Thanks to an organized conspiracy, fully endorsed by Mike, the couple fell into dating. Their first date was a Los Lobos concert. By the third time Rikki was in the same room as Mike, she vowed to her mother that she would marry him. And she did. They married on May 23, 1998 at the St. Paul United Methodist Church, a historic African-American church in the Dallas Arts District, leaving the altar to the sounds of Etta James' "At Last," followed by a rollicking reception at the Sons of Hermann Hall in Deep Ellum, where Mike took the stage with the western swing wedding band for a tune or two.

Mike retired from Penneys in 2006 after a kidney transplant. During retirement, he kept his guitar at the ready. He annually attended a guitar camp in Montana where he played with the Buck-a-Roosters, and a summer guitar fest with buddies from high school in Colorado. At home in Dallas, he played with friends in the Uncle Otto's String Band.

Mike and Rikki moved to Longview, Texas to be near Rikki's family until she was transferred to Chicago in 2010. Once in Chicago, he immersed himself in the city's folk and blues scene where he and Rikki often took classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music. He also played in several Chicago area bands including No Sharp Objects with good buddies, as well as playing guitar for the Cajun harmonica band the Muscovy Ducks, and with friends in Vitamin X. He loved teaming up with Chicago singer and harmonica player Zoe Savage where they performed as The Lucky Ducks. While playing with The Muscovey Ducks, Mike and Rikki were able to make many new friendships, among them Linda and Leo Gordon. Leo's early morning visits with Mike and Rikki before doing his own oncology rounds at Northwestern hospital were a priceless gift during Mike's numerous hospital stays over the last year. Despite recurring hospital stays over several months, Mike always remained upbeat and gracious, never complaining.

Mike and Rikki attended too many concerts and music festivals to recount. They loved enjoying music together, not only in Dallas and Chicago, but also on trips to Europe. Although Mike was a lifelong guitar player, Rikki picked up the harmonica later in life. Yet their marriage still thrived.

Mike shared his love of music with his daughters, introducing them to Randy Newman, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, and Neil Young. His guitar playing inspired his grandsons Sam and Aaron to pick up the instrument as well.

As a prolific producer of quirky sketches, cartoons, and portraits, Mike was as comfortable putting his creations on paper and canvas as he was creating them on his computer or tablet. His work had a recognizable style and tended to coax smiles out of viewers. Some of his drawings remain on the walls of the Wal-Mart Museum in Bentonville.

Mike also recognized and encouraged his elder daughter's artistic talent early on. Amber is now a professor of Art Education at Missouri Southern State University and his admiration for her art is evident to anyone entering Mike and Rikki's home. His younger daughter Sarah's talents lay in her relentless optimism, her beautiful voice and her encyclopedic knowledge of lyrics.

Mike loved Neil Young. He loved swimming at the lake with his children and grandchildren. He loved his cats Chester and Willy. He loved playing his guitars (Rikki will vouch that he had several), live concerts, traveling, Blue Bell vanilla ice cream, and chicken fried steak. And he made a killer chocolate malt, expected on every visit from kids and grandkids.

Friends and family will miss his wry humor, whether expressed in his music, art or conversation. We will miss his soft chuckle. We will miss his quiet, even temperament. Mike Jones made the world a more beautiful, funny, and kinder place.

Mike is survived by his wife of 26 years, Rikki Lynn O'Neal Jones; his daughters Amber Lea Jones Mintert (Fred) and Sarah Fay Jones Lee (Matt) of Joplin, Missouri; grandchildren Sam Coursey (Kathryn) of Redmond, Washington; Broderick Coursey of Los Angeles, California; Aaron Lee (Alex), Maggie Lee, and Olivia Mintert, all of Joplin, and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his loving sister Jean Ann Gann (Larry) of Jefferson City, Missouri, her daughters and their families. As a testament to his loyalty and commitment to maintaining friendships, he is also survived by many chosen brothers: Scott Sadler (a friend of 63 years), Mike Luckey, and many more, too numerous to mention.

Mike was predeceased by his parents Clarence Gene Jones and Annabelle Lois (Tucker) Jones, and sister Rebecca Kay (Jones) Sheets.

Special thanks to the caring team of medical professionals at Northwestern Hospital, specifically the oncology team, his PCP Josh Owen and again, dear friend Leo Gordon. Special thanks also to the many friends and neighbors who have extended love and support over the last year.

Plans for a memorial service will be announced at a later date. In honor of Mike, donations can be made to the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago online at:   oldtownschool.org   or contact Elizabeth Gordon at 773-751-3330.