Marlene Joy Jones

Marlene Joy Jones, 87, of Gillette, Wyoming, passed peacefully on August 21, 2026, at Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center.

Marlene was born May 14, 1939, in Woonsocket, South Dakota, to Wilmer Harl Nelson and Alta Marie (Manners) Nelson. She graduated from Forestburg High School. On July 3, 1958, she married the love of her life, Buell Earl Jones.

Over the years, Marlene brought her steady, hardworking spirit to a variety of jobs; from the Meat Department in Huron, SD, to Mosses Daycare, to the Country Pumper in Forestburg, SD.

Marlene's true joys, though, were found outside of work in the outdoors and in the company of family. She loved camping under open skies, tending her flowers, watching birds, and crafting. A devoted basketball fan, she rarely missed a chance to cheer on a good game. But nothing lit her up quite like a card game with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren games that were, by all accounts, never quite complete without a little good-natured cheating on her part. Her sharp wit and easy kindness made her impossible not to love.

Marlene is survived by her sons, Gary (Kathy) Jones of Gillette, WY, and Glade (Carol) Jones of Anacortes, WA; her brother, Ronnie (Pam) Nelson; her sisters, Linda Godfrey and Diane Ernst; along with 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren, all of whom hold a piece of her spirit within them.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Buell; her parents, Wilmer and Alta; and her brothers, Bill Nelson and Butch Nelson.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Legacy Chapel, 1000 S. Douglas Hwy, Gillette, WY. Burial will take place at Eventide Cemetery in Woonsocket, SD, on July 3, 2027, at 10:00 a.m.

Memorials and condolences may be sent in care of Gillette Memorial Chapel, 210 West 5th Street, Gillette, WY 82716. Condolences may also be shared online at www.gillettememorialchapel.com.