Francis Lee Jones

A Life of Giving and Teaching “The Little Giant, Francis Lee Jones” Hear Yee, Hear Yee one and ALL, we have gathered to celebrate the life and accomplishments of “The Little Giant”, small in stature-but mighty in so many other ways. This man, who was so affectionately known as, Mr. Francis Lee Jones, was born on January 27, 1926 to the late Smith and Sue Jones, who resided on the eastern shore of Virginia. Francis Lee and his family, led by strong parents, were skillfull farmers, who worked planting and harvesting crops of all sorts. Their skills were in high demand, thus establishing a strong work ethic among each of 12 brothers and sisters. This highly respected and hardworking family migrated to Pocomoke City while Francis Lee was just a youngster, now at school age. Francis Lee was educated in the Worcester County Public School System, where African Americans first studied in a one-room school house, of which one still stands today as a museum in downtown Pocomoke City. Francis Lee continued his schooling until “making real money” became a more attractive option. Thus our “Little Giant” then began his dollar chase by working in numerous capacities from dishwasher in Ocean City to chicken catcher at local farms, and at lots of other labor intensive jobs, where the money began to look really good. Eventually, Francis Lee caught the smell of “wet cement” where it continued to excite him throughout his life. Francis Lee was the absolute BEST cement professional during his prime, working on super construction crews in Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Delaware, Virginia and of course all over the eastern shore of Maryland. Francis Lee was highly respected for his craft and was often summoned by “big money cats” to fix jobs that others messed up. After installing cement walls and floors at ECI, the regional prison, this dedicated Master at his Work once said, “If jail birds scratch out of this place, let them go, they deserve to be free.” Francis Lee decided after performing cement jobs for many contractors to open his own business where he employed numerous fellows from the community, so much so that many of them relied upon him for their regular income. Through a life of hard work, Francis Lee also shared his passion for gospel singing at every opportunity and in every place. And you know what folks, Francis Lee was the BEST you could find anywhere. The talent of this Soldier and his desire to serve GOD through song established a reputation of being one of the greatest singers we could ever touch. His greatness and willingness to share God’s gift placed him among many young men as teacher and mentor. “Task Master” was the description given to Francis Lee by his youthful followers. The serious ones continue in their world of music even through today. Francis Lee founded the original Pilgrim Five Quartet in the 40’s and sang with countless songsters for nearly 70 years. In May 2008, Mr. Francis Lee Jones was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree for Gospel Singing. He was a devoted member of New Macedonia Baptist Church for over 60 years where he served as a Deacon and a member of the Gospel Choir. Francis Lee often said his church home should serve as the location to celebrate his Home Going. Our Hero, Francis Lee also stayed in competition with his BIG brother Allen Jones on who could grow the best garden year after year. Francis Lee may have an edge next year since his crop will be planted in heavenly soil. Francis Lee never met a stranger and never forgot a face. He was kind-hearted, generously sharing his garden of vegetables with others and he was a jokester whose funniness will surely be missed. This noteable Little Giant was an avid sportsman who played baseball with the local Negro Leagues, where they boasted of being able to beat every team that came their way, no matter the racial makeup. Francis Lee was a strong supporter of the Baltimore Orioles and often thought he would make a better coach when they were losing. Finally, this individual, we all know and love so well was also a dedicated family man. Francis Lee Jones was married for 55 years to the late Marjorie Smith Jones and together they raised 2 sons, Marvin Jones, Sr. (Brendal) of Salisbury MD and Gary Jones (Brenda) of Atlanta GA. Francis Lee was preceded in death by ten of his siblings to include George, Clyde, James, Freddie, Wallace, Lorenzo, Queenie, Bessie, Virginia and Elsie and one grandson, Steve Castaneda, Jr. In addition to his sons, surviving this beautiful family is one sibling, Mr. Allen Jones (Marguerite), another ‘Little Giant” of the Pocomoke City community, 8 grandchildren, 5 great grands, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Francis Lee Jones A SNAPSHOT OF LIFE WELL LIVED!! To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Francis Lee Jones, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

Francis Lee Jones

January 27, 1926 - September 27, 2017