Jones, John Derek and Joan Ann

John Derek Jones (JDJ) is remembered as one of the missionaries in Botswana who had a heart for ecumenism. He was born on April 12, 1927 at Wallasey, Cheshire, England, the other side of the River Mersey from Liverpool. His father was a shipping clerk and later a departmental manager in the Liverpool office of the Cunard White Star Line. His mother took care of the home. He did his primary and secondary schooling in Wallasey. His entire family was Methodist—parents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. His parents taught him to pray. He attended Methodist Sunday school. In his early years, he was oblivious of the Great Depression, which devastated so many families and threatened his father’s job. He began to be aware of world events as World War 2 loomed that eventually broke out when he was twelve.