Daniel Gethen Jones

Daniel Gethen Jones died at Forest Hills Care Center in Columbus, Ohio on August 25, 2016 with his daughter Nora Ellen Jones in attendance. Dan had been in declining health due to vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years.

Dan was born in Wilkes Barre, PA to immigrant parents – coal miner David Isaac Jones from Carmarthenshire, Wales and nurse Ellen Barden Jones from County Kilkenny, Ireland. He spent his childhood years in Swoyersville, PA and in western Canada, moving to the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx when he was a young teen. Dan attended All Hallows High School on a track and football scholarship. He once explained that he chose All Hallows because “It was within walking distance of home, had a good football team, and was three blocks from Yankee Stadium.”

He then attended City College to study chemistry, graduating in 1950, and married Maureen Callan Jones at Sacred Heart Church in the Bronx a month later. He earned his M.S. from Brooklyn College and then worked towards his Ph.D. at Temple University in Philadelphia.

After their daughter Nora was born, Dan and Maureen moved from the Bronx to Long Island, finally settling in Cherry Hill, NJ (when Dan worked at Mobil Oil in Paulsboro) and Hopewell Township, NJ (near Mobil’s Stoneybrook Research Lab) where their daughter Patricia was born.

While Dan was a dedicated scientist, he was much more. He was keenly interested in and vocal about issues related to social justice, environmental protection, and separation of Church and State. He was also very active as a member of National Ski Patrol and as a “paddler”, serving for many years as training coordinator with Buck Ridge Ski Club and the Philadelphia Canoe Club. Even long after his retirement from Mobil in 1988, he continued to lead whitewater kayaking, sea kayaking, and canoeing courses and trips. His adventures with his skiing and paddling friends took him to Guatemala, Belize, the Everglades, the Florida Keys, Alaska, Canada, Vermont, several western states, and many other wonderful locations.

In early 2013, Dan came to Columbus, Ohio so his daughter Nora could oversee his care. He was soon joined by Maureen, who still lives at Forest Hills. Dan received exceptional and loving care from the nurses and other staff at Forest Hills. Until the end, Dan responded to that care with warm smiles.

Dan was predeceased by his older sister, Dorothy Jones DeRenzo, and his younger brother, James Barden Jones. He is survived by his wife Maureen Callan Jones, their two daughters, Nora Ellen Jones of Columbus, Ohio and Patricia Kathleen Jones (Rodney Findley) of Pacific Palisades, CA, and grandsons Liam and Sean Findley. He is also survived by lifelong friends Charles and Robert Corcoran of Maryland, sister-in-law Angela Collucci Jones of Woodland Park, NJ, and many nieces and nephews, including Christina Jones Brown (Christopher) of Blue Bell, PA and Maria Jones McCloskey (Kevin) of Lumberton, NJ who were both especially supportive during his extended illness.

To honor Dan’s desire to be an organ donor, a sample of his brain tissue was placed in the Neurodegenerative Disease Brain Tissue Depository at the Ohio State University prior to his cremation. His ashes will be scattered later at several special spots in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

Contributions in Dan’s memory may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Sierra Club, Union of Concerned Scientists, or American Civil Liberties Union.