Roberta "Robbie" Downen Jones, 82, passed away on Monday, October 5, 2026, leaving behind a family and community made better by her kindness, generosity, and gentle spirit.

Robbie was born on April 23, 1944, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, to Robert and Lenore Downen. She spent much of her adult life in Pecos, Texas, a community she loved and called home.

Visitation will be held Friday, October 16, 2026 from 4:00PM to 6:00PM with memorial service held at 6:00PM at the Pecos Funeral Home Chapel. Burial for Robbie will take place on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 1:00PM at Balmorhea Cemetery in Balmorhea, Texas. 

She is survived by her loving husband, Don "Jug" Jones, and her brothers, Richard Downen and Zachry Downen.

Robbie leaves behind four sons: Donald (Elizabeth) Willis; Dalton (Kristin) Willis; Chris (Angela) Willis; and Vernon (Jennifer) Willis. She is also survived by her three stepchildren: Jason (Cindy) Jones; Anne (Joe) Yokum; and Sara (Freddy) Barrera.

One of Robbie's greatest joys was being Grandma. She was the proud grandmother of 15 and great-grandmother of 12, and she never let a birthday or Christmas pass without making sure her grandchildren knew she was thinking of them.

They could count on a card arriving in the mail from Grandma Robbie, carefully tucked inside a double envelope with brand-new, crisp $20 bills inside. And if the bank didn't have new bills available, that simply meant Grandaddy Jug had another job to do: getting out the iron and pressing the old bills until they were crisp enough to meet Robbie's standards. It was a small tradition, but one that perfectly captured the thoughtfulness and care she put into loving her family.

Robbie had a kind and selfless heart and found happiness in life's simple pleasures. She loved spending time with family and friends, sleeping in late, eating chocolate, going shopping, and collecting the little things that caught her eye. Among her favorite treasures were her "Sundancers," the little solar-powered trinkets that danced and swayed when the sunlight streamed through the windows of her home. Their cheerful movement became a familiar sight throughout the house and a fitting reflection of the warmth and joy Robbie brought into it.

Her gentle nature extended far beyond her own family. Robbie was beloved throughout the Pecos community after spending many years serving the public as a librarian. She first worked at the public library and later became a librarian at the Reeves County Detention Center.

It might have seemed an unlikely setting for someone so soft-hearted, but Robbie had a remarkable ability to see the humanity in everyone she met. Even among people who had experienced some of the hardest sides of life, her patience, kindness, and loving nature had a way of breaking through. She treated people with dignity and compassion, and in return, even some of the most hardened individuals she encountered came to adore and respect her. That was simply who Robbie was.

She was gentle. She was generous. She loved without making a show of it. Her kindness could be found in a carefully chosen card, a crisp $20 bill, a conversation across a library desk, a shopping trip, a piece of chocolate, or time spent surrounded by the people she loved. Robbie's life cannot be measured only by her 82 years, but by the countless small acts of love she scattered throughout them.

Her family will miss her deeply: her kindness, her familiar routines, her cards in the mail, her collections, her Sundancers dancing in the windows, and all of the little things that made Grandma Robbie beloved by all.

She leaves behind a beautiful legacy in her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, family, friends, and the many people whose lives were made better simply because they had the privilege of knowing her.

She was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed.