Posted on March 2, 2001

Dear Coach Jones,

Our prayers go out to you and your family. We wish you a full and speedy recovery at this incredibly tough time. You have touched our lives more than you could know. Coach Jones, you are the epitome of class...a man of great humility, integrity and inspiration. You are a true role model to us all in Hawai'i. I want to thank you for all that you are and the positive impact you have made on our lives and the lives of our children in particular. You hold a very special place in our hearts. I know God will be by your side and give you and your family the strength and guidance needed to pull you through this difficult time. Keep your positive energy flowing! We are all rooting for you.

Me ke aloha,
The Deweese Family
Garen, Annie and Steph

I know I speak for everyone from Grant High and Northeast Portland who knows you and your family when I wish you a speedy recovery and return to your position as head coach at Hawai'i. We have followed your career closely all these years and have taken great pride in all your accomplishments. We know you will pull through this adversity the same way you have overcome obstacles all your life, with determination, a will to win and a never-give-up attitude. We are proud of you and wish you and your family the best in the difficult days ahead.

Joe Stilwell
Fernwood Grade School
Grant High School
NE Portland

We are all thinking so much about all of you and hoping for a quick and complete recovery for June! We check the site daily to keep up with how you are doing. I know Diane's work is hard, too! Hang in there all of you.

With love and prayers!
Janis Krebs, Jan Krebs Smith and her family and Rob and Ann Krebs
P.S. Mom is staying in touch with Mavis and has tried to call Marilyn and Shell.

I was on the Big Island when I heard the awful news. I don't know June Jones personally, but I know he's done a lot of good for the state and its people -- far beyond just football. All I wish for is that he fully recovers and gets back to all the good work that he does. It is really inspirational that all the people who appreciate his deep love for Hawaii are now praying for him and his family. From this near tragedy will come a closer sense of community.

Aloha,
Ray Tabata

TO COACH JONES AND FAMILY

OUR PRAYERS WILL BE WITH YOU AND FAMILY. MAY YOU HAVE A SPEEDY RECOVERY. TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS YOU.

ALAN & COLLEEN GANTALA
STOCKTON,CA.

Coach Jones:

The fans at Section EE, South End Zone wish you a speedy recovery. May god give you strength to heal quickly so you can return and do what you do best and love. You are the true essence of the term...WARRIOR!

Rob, Robinson, Alex, Jim and the gang

Coach Jones,

Best wishes towards a super quick and healthy recovery. We all know you're a fighter, and plan on seeing you on the sidelines this upcoming season to lead the team to many more WAC titles. Even though I'm on the mainland, I've been keeping up with your condition, and have been praying.

chad

Coach Jones,

I have following your career since your Houston days and can't begin to tell you how happy I was when you took the UH job (and impressed how you went with your heart instead of for the money). I've been very happy to hear how you have been improving and hope that you make a timely and full recovery. You have meant so much to the UH program and to the people of Hawaii and I wish you the best.

Garret Okamoto
Santa Clara, CA

Aloha Coach Jones,

Get well soon. I will keep you in my prayers every night for your speedy recovery!

UH alumni Tom Kitaguchi
San Francisco, Calif.

Posted on February 26, 2001

Aloha, June:

Get battle ready quickly.  The team and community need your inspirational leadership.

Best,
Pete Maher

WISHING YOU THE VERY BEST IN A SPEED RECOVERY.
I, TOO, SOME FIVE YEARS AGO, GOT INTO A ONE CAR ACCIDENT, FLIPPED AND TOTALED MY VAN. NOT AS SERIOUS AS YOU, I ONLY BROKE MY LEFT ARM, AND SPENT 1 NIGHT IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER HAVING AN EMERGENCY SURGERY. I THOUGHT OF ALL THE FRIENDS AND MY FAMILY THAT WERE THERE TO LIFT MY SPIRITS AND PRAY FOR ME. I KNOW THAT MY HEAVENLY FATHER WAS THERE AND HE BLESSED ME, TOO.
MY SON AT THE TIME WAS ONLY 2 1/2 YEARS OLD. ESCAPING WITH JUST A CUT ON HIS FINGER, I KNOW THAT HE WAS ALSO BLESSED AT THAT TIME.
I SEND YOU PRAYERS AND ASK OUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL BRING YOU HOME TO YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS HERE, HEALTHY AND WHOLE AGAIN.

KEEP THE FAITH,
C.K.M. TIAVE AND FAMILY.

Posted on February 23, 2001

I wish June Jones a speedy recovery. I hope that he will come out of this an even better man. What he did for Hawaii football was amazing, and I believe that he will be back sooner than we all would expect because he's a strong guy with a lot of heart. I won't pray for him because I don't believe in all of that, but he has the best wishes from me and my group of friends over here at the dorms. Good luck to June and his family!!!!

Eric Ichinose

Dear Coach Jones and family, 

Our prayers are with you and your family.  Please take care and get well soon.

Much Aloha,
Russell S. Akamine

From Gloucester, Mass.:

Our thoughts are with you and your family. Get well.

Lynne and Phil Scannell

Wishing you blessings of strength and love during this transitional time of your lives.

Much love and peace,

B. King

Dear Coach Jones,                                               

There is a philosophy: "There is a reason for everything." As I write this, you are in "critical but stable condition." My guess is that you will be upgraded soon, and you will come out of this situation stronger and better equipped than ever before. You have certainly touched the lives of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people with your incredible achievements  — a result of your incredible inner strength.

We, as fans and supporters of you, may never find out the "real reason" for this terrible occurrence. You, however, may discover "the reason" if you subscribe to the philosophy I've stated above. The discovery of "the reason" is what will make you stronger and better equipped.

This message is not intended to cheer you up in the conventional sense. I am sharing thoughts that have crossed my mind since January 1995 when I was told I was going to die in five years or less from an incurable cancer. Since that time, with God's help, we've managed to turn lemons into lemonade. My cancer symptoms appear to be reversing themselves and this summer I will be competing in the National Senior Olympics in Baton Rouge.

Your inner strength, courage, sheer guts and determination is what will pull you through. Those are the qualities you have chosen to live your life by and that enable you to convert lemons into lemonade.

Take care, Coach. Get well soon. You're the greatest.

Michael A. Dudock
The Honolulu Quarterback Club
Senior, Male, Athlete of the Year — 2000 

Hey Coach,

I hope that you get better soon. We need you out there on the field. You have done more for UH football than anyone could have hoped. My prayers go out to you and your family. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Kekoa Tassill

Coach Jones,

Hang in there, buddy. We are all behind you. You mean so much to your players as well as the people of this state. Wishing for your quick and full recovery.

J. Fia
Kapolei, HI

Prayers from temporary Hawai'i transplants in Fort Worth, Texas. We pray for a speedy recovery of June Jones and comfort and strength for friends, fans, and, most of all, his family. We pray that the same "Warrior" spirit that he brought back to the University of Hawai'i football team will help him to fight through this adversity and get back on the sidelines as soon as possible doing what he loves to do.

In Christ,
The Sanders — Matt, Cheryl, Kiyomi, Ariel, and Keiko

To the family and friends of UH Coach June Jones,

On behalf of my wife Raelynn and I, I would like to extend our heartfelt sympathies and prayers for a speedy and healthy recovery. The news of the accident came as a shock, and to be honest, it did not look like the news would get better. But his apparent improving condition is a testament to his can-do attitude and fighting spirit.

Never has anyone made such a positive impact in so short a time on the Hawaiian community than Coach Jones. He single-handedly brought a new spirit of Hawaiian pride and aloha to the people of the Islands, something that has been somewhat lacking. He has done this not only through his success on the football field, but also through his many charity functions, speeches and display of strong family values. As an Army veteran and current Hawaii Air National Guard member, I was overcome with an even stronger sense of pride of what and who I was when I heard that he sometimes uses stories of military heroes, actions and such to motivate and instill leadership and teamwork.

There are greater things in life, so much to be thankful for, so much we take for granted. As we live and breathe each day, I hope we keep these things in mind in honor of probably the most positive role model in our young and old Hawaiian community as he goes through what may be one of the most trying times in his and his family's life.

Best wishes, Coach. A nation of friends and well-wishers are at your bedside. Keep the faith.

Marcus W. and Raelynn K. Della Sala
Aiea, Hawaii

As a UH grad and follower of UH football, although being away from Hawai'i Nei for the last 20 years, we have kept up with your splendid leadership as the head football coach. We pray for your speedy recovery, June, and for your loving family. You are a true warrior, June.

Aloha.

Bill and Elaine Tai,
Veradale, Wash.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Faye and Don Ward
Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

He epitomizes "class" and what sports is and should be all about. Only after reading the Friday, February 23, 2001, Honolulu Advertiser did I find out about how Coach Jones advised and assisted Chris Garnier. It was very reassuring, in that it proves what Coach Jones is all about. Coach Jones was said to have advised Chris to forego his senior year of football in order to accept being the student government president (ASUH). Why? Because he could provide more "good" for the university as a whole, then he would just on the football field. He also did not pull back Chris' scholarship. Yes, he could have used the scholarship to possibly pull in a top-notch recruit. But he didn't, because he "loves" his players and I believe tries to do what's best and right in the long run for his players. He also felt that Chris' drive and where his heart lay was more in the pursuit of law than continuing playing football.

Coach Jones has experienced the limelight of pro football, but he also realizes that to make it to that level for the average player is possible, but also may be a "shot-in-the-dark" chance, therefore all players should cover their bases and get their education.

For all those who are cynical about college football and the way sports programs are run: rest assured with Coach Jones at the helm of this team, our players will be learning the right lessons. I'm sure the team will experience its ups and downs as far as the win-loss records, but if these men learn what Coach Jones is trying to instill in them they will all be winners in life.

The medical reports say they needed to repair his aorta (heart). Medically speaking, that may be so, but in a figurative sense, from what I've learned, that is the one part of him that doesn't need repairing. Our prayers are with Coach Jones and his family for a fast and speedy recovery. May he be back better than ever and once again teaching our football team the true game of life.

From your UH football fans since the '70s!!
The Hamasus

The George Carey Family would like to express our thoughts and prayers are for you and your family. Please get well soon and we will be following your recovery in The Advertiser.

Fondly,
George, Becky, Jennifer, Bryana Carey
Newport Beach, CA

My son used to go to school with your son. My son Alika said a little prayer for you and June IV because I told him that June IV's heart was a little sore now worrying about his Daddy. I'll never forget and always cherish the moment when you and I stood behind June IV and Alika while they were playing video games together at Chuck-E Cheese in Aina Haina during June IV's birthday party. I appreciated your patience when I asked you all those football questions.

May God Bless you with a speedy recovery and bless your family during their time of need.

Aloha from Tim, Debbrina, Kanani & Alika Haller

God bless you and your family,

The Rodrigues Family
Albany, Ore.

Kenny Family and their 'ohana

God Bless,

Alex & Millie and family

Ray Kang

Aloha,
Erik Floyd
Kama'aina and lifelong 'Bows fan

I just want you to get better and may the doctors' minds and skillful hands be guided by a higher power. May you and your family be blessed during this unexpected and highly emotional time. You have always been so positive for our community and I know the community is praying for your full recovery. Please take care.

Thank you for thinking of Hawai'i,
Krisette A. Tanaka

The prayers of my family and me are with you. You are a man of dedication and class and I have a great respect for you, not only as a coach, but as a husband and father as well. I was there when you became head coach of the Falcons and will never forget the warm greeting the entire Falcon family gave you when one of their own became the head man.  I know you have the resolve to pull through this and look forward to seeing you on the sideline again.

Love,
Bill Rosinski
Voice of the Carolina Panthers 

Chuck McCutcheon (80)

The Torres family

From everyone here at the Rice Athletics Department, best wishes for a speedy recovery. Our heartfelt wishes and prayers are with you and your family and best wishes from everyone here in the Rice Owls family.

Michael Pede
Assistant Athletic Director
Marketing & Promotions
Rice University

I do not know you personally but I feel at this time that I have the sense of feelings of special prayers for you. You have made such a great impact on our state, our lives, our children and the University of Hawai'i. I pray for you. Mr. Jones. that you will be fully recovered.

Father God, I pray now that you will take care of Mr. Jones and bring him back to us in good spirits and once again healthy and strong. I ask you, Father God, to bless him and give him the strength that he needs and to give his family guidance and strength, also. I ask all of these in your name, Amen.

We pray for your speedy recovery
The Lando family

I wish you a speedy recovery. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I look forward to seeing you well and healthy again real soon. But take care and heal up good first. Your players and staff will take care of everything in the meantime; you've established a solid base to work with.

Take care and I wish you all the best! You WILL get through this.

Your friend,
Brian Kajiyama

It's 4th and long. Your wide receiver is outrunning the secondary. You wind up and throw it. He catches it. Crowd goes wild....

June, hang in there. Get well soon. Our thoughts and POSITIVE energy are with you....

Aloha,
Tony/Rosa Gomes

My prayers and best wishes are with all of you.  You have been able to do great things with the help of God and I know that he will help you through this.  Your family needs you and Hawai'i needs you, too!!  

Aloha and God bless you
Jan Mahuna

Your friend, Artie Wilson, said it best — your work is not done.

Best wishes for a full recovery,

Bob Harris
Kailua

Glenda Ah Nee

J. Simcoe
Kailua

Hoping to see you on the sidelines soon,

Dale Nakagawa
Ashland, Oregon

Dennis Bonilla