Profiles of Life: Jeffery Lee Yonnes Jr.

Jeffery Lee Yonnes Jr. fought the odds from the beginning.

Born prematurely on Dec. 16, 1998, the baby known as J.R. also battled pneumonia. He had recently become a healthy, chubby and alert infant just beginning to show off a personality that charmed everyone, one of his grandmothers said.

"J.R. was an angel from heaven. He was a special little guy all around. He was always happy," stepmother Beverly Yonnes said.

The 4-month-old was with his mother, father, and 3-year-old twin siblings on May 3 when they took refuge in the bathroom in their Midwest City home just before a tornado leveled it.

J.R. was the pride and joy of his father, Jeffery Lee Yonnes Sr., Beverly Yonnes said.

"He was a special kind of baby, so I guess that is why God called him. He never cried. He loved people because anytime anyone touched him, he just smiled back at you. I think that God needed his little angel back with him. That's the way we're going to look at it. You don't want to question some things because we don't know the answer."

The baby's mother, Mandy Kelly, and his father are in critical condition at Presbyterian Hospital. The other two children, Josephine, known to the family as "Joey" and Jeremy, received minor injuries.

J.R. is survived by maternal grandfather, John "Jake" Richmond, Bethany; maternal grandmother, Suzetta Hartpence, Bethany; maternal grandparents Mary Ellen & Vernon Courtney, Elk Ridge, Maryland; grandparents Jerry and Mary Hopkins, Midwest City; and Terry and Beverly Yonnes, Midwest City.