'Larger than life': Creve Coeur honors late beloved founder of cruise-in fundraiser

Friends and family say Dan Jones of Creve Coeur had a personality that was “larger than life."

“He was definitely a person who loved to help and serve others,” said Mickey, Jones’ wife. “He loved God, his family, and his friends. He was a family man through and through.”

Jones, 62, died on Aug. 30. He was the former owner of the Tri-County Sports Shop in Creve Coeur, where he was known as a go-to vendor for local schools, studios and sports teams. When the shop closed 11 years ago, Jones worked at Costco in East Peoria as a gas station supervisor. He also worked as a volunteer firefighter and founded a still-active fundraising event called the Sweet Kids Cruise-In & Car Show, which benefits the Pediatric Diabetes Resource Center.

Jones' love for his community manifested in his willingness to socialize with customers and give back. His community clearly loved him back, because Mickey estimated that between 700 and 800 people attended his visitation earlier this month at Preston-Hanley Funeral Home.

“It showed how special a man he was,” Mickey said. “To see so many people he impacted came to pay their respects and honor him was overwhelming.”

Jones’ lifelong friend Tom Schatsiek of Creve Coeur attended elementary school with him. Even though they went on to attend different high schools, Schatsiek asserted that it was no deterrent to their friendship. They also went on to both serve as volunteer firefighters in Creve Coeur. “When we got to be teenagers, we’d cruise Main Street (in Peoria) in his Camaro,” he said. “That was probably every Friday and Saturday night.”

Mickey said Jones also was a fixture at all his childrens’ sporting events, dance recitals, school plays and band concerts.

“I only remember him missing one event, and that was when his grandmother was in the (Intensive Care Unit),” she said. “Other than that, we went to every one of our kids’ events, and they did a multitude of things. ... We went to Florida twice for cheerleading competitions, and we went to Texas twice for soccer games when our son was in college.”

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Jones was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at age 14; his daughter Emily Thigpen was diagnosed as a teenager. Both had a love of classic cars and combined that passion with a desire to help children newly diagnosed with diabetes into the Sweet Kids Cruise In. Since its inception in 2011, the Cruise In has raised over $100,000.

“We thought it would be a one-year thing,” Thigpen said. “But we raised five or six thousand dollars and we had so much fun doing it that when people asked if we were going to make it annual event, it seemed like a no-brainer.”

“The Cruise In was always a great fellowship event,” said Jones' sister, Diane Hemp. “Sometimes there would be more than 100 cars there, and people would talk and text. There would be silent auctions for baskets and a 50/50 raffle.”

In the spare time, Jones enjoyed hunting, cooking, his assortment of smokers and vacations at Lake of the Ozarks. He also loved rock music from the 1970s and 1980s — particularly Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Aerosmith and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

“There was always music on,” Thigpen said. “There was a stereo system inside. There was a stereo system in the garage. There was a stereo system in the shop where he worked. Wherever he was, a stereo was always on, and it was always loud.”

Thigpen’s favorite memories of her father include impromptu after-school dance parties and traditional family vacations that often included a party of friends.

“It will be difficult to return to Lake of the Ozarks without him, because he was part of every single memory,” she said. “Whether it was skiing, teaching people how to ski, riding the Jet Ski, or fishing off the dock; he was there, just like he was there for us pretty much every day of our lives.”

In addition to Mickey, he is survived by his parents, Jerry and Pat Jones of Creve Coeur; his brother, Tom; his sister Hemp of Metamora; daughters Maria Bollinger of East Peoria, Danielle Keen of Tremont, and Thigpen of Creve Coeur; son Rob Jones of Groveland; 12 grandchildren; and a veritable army of friends.

Mickey said she had many fond memories of her life with Jones, but her single favorite was their wedding day, which occurred just eight months after they met. Their 25th wedding anniversary celebration with family and friends likely ranks a close second, she added.

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“Our family and friends sent us on a belated honeymoon/anniversary trip to Hawaii,” said Mickey. “That was probably the most peaceful, relaxing vacation we ever had. The fact that our family and friends had planned it for us made it even more special.”

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Creve Coeur, Illinois, Sweet Kids Cruise-In co-founder dies at age 62