April 22, 2026. Clarence A. Jones, Sr. died at home in Dothan, Alabama. His family surrounded him. He was 86 years old. The news has moved through the community slowly, the way news does when people need time to absorb it. Those who knew him are now telling stories about a man who never met anyone he could not talk to.
Blakely Union High School provided Clarence with an education. He learned how to deal with people, tell a narrative, and put others at ease throughout that period of his life. Before he could drive a car, his classmates from those years recall him as someone who could make a room laugh. He never lost that quality.
He spent a long stretch of his working life at Miller Hydro. Coworkers there knew him as dependable. Later, he drove for Ferrellgas. He stayed in that role until he retired at 74. Two decades past typical retirement age, he kept showing up. He liked helping people. He liked staying busy. Colleagues recall his upbeat attitude and his willingness to take on extra work when someone else was struggling.
Outside of the job, Clarence hunted and fished. The outdoors gave him space to think. But he also used those trips to bond with friends and family. A day in the woods or on the water was rarely solitary for him. He invited people along. He told jokes between casts. He made ordinary afternoons feel like small celebrations.
His family has planned a service for Friday, April 24, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The location is the Cadwell Chapel of Cox Ivey Funeral Home. Pastor Darryl Bates will lead the ceremony. After that, a private burial will take place at Mt. Gilead Cemetery. Only his closest relatives will attend that part. The public service offers a chance for the wider community to say goodbye.
Clarence leaves behind his family. They will carry forward what he modeled: hard work without complaint, humor without cruelty, and a genuine curiosity about every person who crossed his path. Dothan has lost someone who made ordinary days better just by being in them. That is not a small thing. That is almost everything.