John Edward Jones was a dedicated member of the Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church. He was a married man with a young child and one baby on the way with his wife. He ventured into the Nutty Putty Cave on the 24th November 2009 with his brother and subsequently became stuck in the cave. He was suffocated & went into cardiac arrest when he became stuck upside down in what was known as the birth canal part of the cave. Rescuers couldn't retrieve his body. After this tragic accident, the cave was sealed up.∼John Edward Jones died November 25 in a caving accident in Nutty Putty Cave, Utah County. He was born January 21, 1983 in Sandy, Utah. John grew up and went to school in St. George, Utah, where he graduated from Dixie High School in 2001. John was an Eagle Scout and Senior Class President. He served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Quito, Ecuador. John later graduated from Brigham Young University and was in his second year of medical school at the University of Virginia. He planned and was working toward becoming a pediatric cardiologist. It was at BYU that John met his sweetheart, Emily Dawn Petersen, and they were married in 2006. They are the parents of 13-month old Elizabeth "Lizzie" Dawn Jones, and Emily is expecting their second child next June. 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 is survived by his wife, Emily, daughter, Lizzie, as well as his parents Leon and Cherie Jones of Stansbury Park, Utah, brothers and sisters, Aaron (Gena), Michael (Sheri), Spencer (Tyler), Cherie' Dick (Jonathan), Maria Bingham (Seth) and Josh, Emily's parents, Jeffrey and Linnette Petersen of Roanoke, Virginia, brothers, David (Lauren), Nathan, Daniel, 16 nieces and nephews, and grandmother, Mary Jones of Blanding, Utah, all of whom miss him tremendously. The family would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated in any way in the brave and extensive rescue efforts on his behalf. The family also thanks everyone for the tremendous outpouring of love and support that they have received during this hard time. We'll never fully understand how or why it was John's time. But we find comfort in knowing that he fulfilled his purpose here on Earth, and that we will be reunited with him again. A funeral was held for John on Saturday, November 28, at 11a.m. at the Stansbury Park Stake Center, 417 East Benson Road in Stansbury Park, Utah. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a contribution be made to the John and Emily Jones Memorial Fund at either Wells Fargo Bank, Utah Community Credit Union or to the Emily Jones Children Donation at Zions National Bank.
Desert News
Salt Lake City, Utah
November 29, 2009
*John loved to explore caves. While exploring one with friends of his John ended up getting stuck in the opening of the cave. For over 20 hours rescuers tried in vain to rescue him. After having been in the cave for so long he went into cardiac arrest.