Roy Vernon Jones, 79, of Haines, died Feb. 21, 2005, at St. Elizabeth Health Services.
At his request there will be no service. Disposition was by cremation.
Mr. Jones was born on March 5, 1925, at Doniphan, Mo., to Eddy and Lina Eagan Jones. He was the youngest of 11 children.
He started his education in Missouri and completed it at Rockbridge, Ill. At age 18 he was inducted into the U.S. Army at Peoria, Ill. He suffered injuries in a training plane crash and was given a medical discharge after three months.
He had a beautiful voice and played the guitar. He, his brother and a friend played music and entertained for dances and for a short while on the radio at St. Louis, Mo.
He later moved to New Plymouth, Idaho, to live with a sister. He met the love of his life, Wanda German. They were married on June 1, 1946, at Payette, Idaho. After spending some time in Idaho, they moved to Iowa. Their first son was born and died in infancy.
They returned to Oregon and lived around Vale where Mr. Jones worked on a ranch. He started his career as an auto mechanic at the Chevrolet garage at Ontario in 1948. The couple’s second son was born at Ontario in 1948.
They moved to Baker City in 1952. Mr. Jones worked at the Chevrolet garage for several years. He started working for the U.S. Forest Service in 1967 and continued there until his retirement in 1991.
The couple’s daughter was born in Baker City in 1954 and a third son was born in 1959.
Mr. Jones loved to hunt and fish and took every opportunity to take his family with him. He was a loving husband and a devoted father. He enjoyed playing his guitar and singing for his family. His mother and beloved mother-in-law enjoyed his singing so much.
After their retirement, he and Wanda made several hunting trips to New Mexico and Montana. Between hunting trips they made several trips to Montana each summer and spent a lot of time driving in the mountains around Baker County. He dearly loved the mountains.
Survivors include his loving wife, Wanda; a son, Michael, and his wife of Ontario; a daughter, Deborah, and her husband of Sacramento, Calif.; a son, Jeffrey, of Portland; three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; a brother, Willis; sister-in-law, Geneva, of Corning, Ark.; a brother-in-law and hunting buddy, Bud German, and sister-in-law, Myrna, of Baker City; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; nine brothers and sisters; his father-in-law and mother-in-law; infant son, Roy Marlin; a grandson, Roy Elton; and several nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Diabetic Association or the charity of one’s choice through Haren-Wood Funeral Chapel, 2543 S.W. Fourth Ave., Ontario, OR 97914.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, February 25, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor