Former Monkee, Davy Jones was remembered in a small private funeral at Holy Cross Catholic Church, Indiantown, close to his home in Florida, and next to Hope Rural School, which Jones has supported.
Attending the funeral were his immediate family; his wife and daughters, and besides family, the man who first trained Jones to ride racehorses was in attendance, as were members of his current band, who wrote prayers which they read at the service.
To avoid turning it into a media-circus, the other Monkees, Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork did not attend.
Fr Frank O’Loughlin, who presided at the service, said several of Jones’ own songs were played, including “I’ll Love You Forever” and “Written in My Heart.”
In his own comments, O’Loughlin said, “He wrote about a quiet, gentle, contented people. A people for whom life was bright, neighbors friends, daydream believers with an absolute absence of burden who took themselves lightly – lighter than air. Wasn’t that what David conveyed to the world, a blissful lightness of being?”
“I think your David captivated us because he was a new universal hero – not a typical Odysseus or Beowulf – but a very Christian hero, strength of character rather than strength of arms,” O’Loughlin said, “conducting himself with humility and caring for others.”
When Jones learned a group of nuns from Hope Rural School, a private school that educates children of migrant workers in Indiantown, lived across the street from his house, he decided to pay them a visit.
Since his first visit, Jones regularly stopped by the house to sing to the nuns and to share stories and jokes.
“(The jokes) weren’t always politically correct,” Sister Mary Dooley said, laughing.
The last time she saw him he was cleaning his yard, as usual.
“You know when you have a good neighbour you are comfortable with? That’s what he was to us,” Dooley said.
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