Regretfully Announcing The Passing Of Les Jones

[B.T.]

Les Jones passed today.

Sue and the Girls need all of our thoughts and prayers.

Bill Tow

I am glad for the time I was given just hanging out and sharing the joy of a childs toy with my friend Les. I can think of no other person who taught me more about marbles.

When I think of Great Marbles I think of Les and always will.

I know I am a better person for having known the big guy!

Sad in Iowa!!!

:-(

BT

[LouisCamp]

Very sad news.

I feel like I was punched in the gut.

My condolences to Sue and the girls.

Lou

[PlanB]

I didn't know either Paul or Les, but I can't tell you how much I was hoping for the doctors to pull off a miracle. A very sad time.

[ackiedee]

I was hoping not to hear this sad news.. a great loss for all..

the first time I met Les, I immediately knew I liked the guy and always enjoyed seeing him.. he was so knowledgeable and always ready to help anyone that asked..

and had some great sotries to tell, too..

I will certainly keep Sue and the girls in my thoughts and prayers..

Di

[sissydear]

Weldon and I are so sorry to hear this news. Edna

[Marblealan]

Les truly helped me get my foot in the door of this hobby of ours. I'm just stunned. I don't think marble collecting can ever be the same without the presence of Les' huge personality. Certainly no show will ever have the same quality. I don't know what else I can say---I feel sick at heart, which is a feeling I know I share with so many of you. ~~~Alan

[dust9]

That is truely very sad news. Dustin and I always looked foreward to seeing Les at the shows. He will be missed.

Bob M

[bjmarble]

The marble world has just lost a mentor and a true friend to most. I spent many a day just listening to the big guy's stories at the marble shows. If I ever needed help with an ID it was Les who I would go to and trust more than anyone else. You always new when Les arrived at the shows because you could hear his wonderful deep laugh and the halls would suddenly become empty as everyone would go to his room. Marble shows will never ever be the same again. Our sincere condolences to Sue and the girls. Brad, Darlene and Ryan Barnes.

[JerryG]

Oh my.. Not what I expected or wanted to hear..

Thoughts and prayers to Les's family.

Jerry

[B.T.]

Right on Brad .... you said it like it was. I feel the same way!

I will miss that laugh, the stories, and the vast wealth of knowledge he was always willing to share.

I will miss the anxious anticipation during the weeks leading up to a show with a bunch of marbles to show the big guy!

I will miss the road trips to Ohio, spending almost a week together talking about marbles and how much we love our families!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BT

[asil64]

So sorry to hear about Les. My thoughts are with his family.

I only saw and spoke with Les once, at my first marble show in Columbus, about 5 years ago. I bought a few Peltiers from him, as well as a Peltier Comic repo box. He was very nice and approachable. I recall that he told me he was one of the ones (or was he the one?) who convinced ebay to have a seperate catagory for marbles (instead of lumping them in with all the other games).

My condolences to his family and his friends. He really seemed like a good guy.

Lisa

[jormibnut]

Everyone whoever met and knew Les will miss him. I know that I will. Art

[tankgrrl29]

i don't know what to say that hasn't already been said. every word spoken so far rings true to the man i knew.

i feel so lucky to live where i do for the simple reason that les was at practically every show i went to. i'd spend half the show hanging out in his room, picking his brain or trading stories. i learned so much from him, but the most valuable advice i got was on buying marbles.

i remember when i was finally getting to a place where i kinda knew what i was doing, and i worried at that point that, if i did come across someone who had marbles for sale but didn't know their value, i could no longer truthfully tell them i had no idea either and just offer some lowball price. les was someone who really did find a lot of marbles that way, and i asked him how he handled situations like that. "if a little old lady pulled out a mint world's fair box from her attic, how would you go about making her an offer without ripping her off?" was the question i asked him. he told me, "i'd ask her 'in your wildest dreams, what would you hope to get for these?', and then whatever she said, i'd offer to pay it. it's usually a price that's still a great deal for me, but also a great deal for them, so everyone's happy". he also told me that if he came across something super expensive like a case of original boxes of guineas, he might tell someone "this is worth more than what i can pay you. i can offer this much, or put you in touch with someone else who might like to buy it".

so, not only did i get some great advice, but i also learned that les jones was someone whose integrity i could always count on. i respected that about him more than anything, but a close second was the way he was so approachable, like lisa said. when i was new he always talked to me with respect, no matter how common a marble i might ask him about. and many times since the earlier days, i've seen other newbies come in and get all kinds of helpful advice.

lots of people in his position would just get a big head and go on with their ''sucker born every minute" mentality. not les. he was as genuine as you can get, with the coolest marbles, the most fair prices, and a true love of the hobby.

i can't imagine what it's going to be like without him. i'm heartbroken and stunned. my heart goes out to his family - if we're all feeling like this, they must be completely devastated.

hugs to us all, in our shared grief

rest in peace, les

~chris

[bigjohn691500]

I met Les in Edmunsburg 2 or 3 years ago and I have to say they dont get any better than Les when it comes to a friendly guy who's collection, I have yet to see it could be beat,,, He was an all around awesome guy whos heart was in the right place, I hate when people pass and this has struck a sour note in my heart bad, this is the only picture I have of him from that show, he was busy doing a deal and didnt hestitate to stop and chat, Im so sad right now, I thought I would share my only picture to the many who didnt know him, in this picture is a man who took an American pastime to a level in which is irreplaceble by any standards, with his knowledge, his decency for the common man or woman, his warm heart and with his humor, his love for his family as well as his hobby, God be with his family through all of this, and my flag will indeed be flying half staff,,, bj

[B.T.]

BJ,

The image is awesome .... thanks so much for posting it!

BT

[bigjohn691500]

Bill , I happened to be in the room when an elderly couple came in to sell their marbles. they had been to just about every other room and everyone was telling them to go see Les, I was snapping pictures of his collection and could not help over hearing him do the deal, the couple had an outstanding collection and it was more than he could handle at once, he did buy a couple marbles from them and boy, I thought he paid dearly for them" I realized that he didnt want to disapoint this couple so he picked up an inch marble and offered a tidy sum which instantly put a smile on the couples faces, I sat back in awe just to realize he couldnt handle a collection of that magnitute but wanted to put some kind of glimmer into this elderly couples souls, I respected him for not cheated them out of, in my eyes was there"retirement plan" for his personal gain, he just wasnt like that, the guys was all heart,, im done,,, just hate having to loose him like that,,,,bj

[wvrons]

If Les was at the show,that was one of the first rooms i visited. He always had something for me. It was easy to find his room,listen for that voice and look for the crowd. I have several pictures of him over the last few years,doing what he enjoyed,and he would always smile at the camera,no matter how busy.

It is Sad news.

My condolences to the entire family.

[Scoop]

..... I just don't know what to say... I was hoping for a miracle, along with everyone else.....

I wish I could have known Les better..... I'm grateful for the small amount of time that I did get to have with him.... It didn't take a lot of time to realize that he was a gem, and he will be hugely missed.....

[Guest singlepontil]

If Les was at the show,that was one of the first rooms i visited. He always had something for me.  It was easy to find his room,listen for that voice and look for the crowd.  I have several pictures of him over the last few years,doing what he enjoyed,and he would always smile at the camera,no matter how busy.

It is Sad news.

My condolences to the entire family.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[greg11]

Les was a fantastic person. Yuki and I sent him a card at the Hospital, we were just talking about him when I found the posting here. He was someone I looked up to for years. You could always count on Les and he would always take the time to stop and spend time with the new collectors. He would give you quality time, not just 5 minutes. He showed me some great marbles over the years. His box collection is amazing, his stories were amazing. He leaves this place too soon, and I pray for his daughters and wife.

[44662]

The very first time I met Les was in New Philly. He had a marble that I just had to have and one that I had been looking for for several years. Things was rough for me that year and I knew that I wouldnt' have the money for that marble but I had to ask anyhow... you know... ya just might get lucky! Well, I got lucky, the marble and a huge smile from Les because he knew it was more than fair. Right away it seemed like he enjoyed making the deal more than he did the sale. Someone like that isn't easily forgotten and I looked for Les at the show ever since. I didn't know him like a lot of you probably did, but I knew and enjoyed him enough to know that the shows will never be complete without him.

God bless you Les.

My condolences to his family.

[spara50]

What a shock! I read everyday to see if there was any progress with Les and was devastated yesterday to read this thread.

Can't say much more than what's already been said about Les. Great guy, a huge asset to marble collecting a his passing is going to leave a HUGE hole in the community.

Like others, his was always one of the first rooms I would go to see at a show. It was like walking into a marble museum. Boxes, bags, awesome marbles all in one place and it took your breath away.

When we started the KC marble show in 2004, Les was one of the dealers I called to ask if he would attend. He didn't hesitate and said yes. It always meant a great deal that he came all the way to KC in our first year. Not waiting to see if it was a good show or not, just showing up.

That's where we took this picture together, and I am sure glad we did. It will always bring back memories of a great human being.

Thought and prayers to the family.

Craig

[Brandy1976]

I met Les at the Madison show when I first decided I was going to get into this wonderful hobby and he was the most welcoming marble ambassador I could have found.....I bought several mibs from Les and everytime he gave me a good deal....He wanted to share is love for these little round things with everyone and bring in a whole new generation to the hobby....He will be missed and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family....

Brandy

[disco005]

I am so sorry to hear this news, I didn't know Les, but wish I had had the chance to meet him, he sounds like a wonderful person. My condolences to his family. -Jess

[Al Oregon]

I had never met Les but communicated with him about marble bags a few times over the years. He had a wealth of knowledge and was willing to help me learn. This is a sad day for the marble hobby! My condolences to the family!