Douglas Wayne Jones

Douglas Wayne Jones, 74, of Raleigh, North Carolina, died on July 18th, 2021. He was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 7th, 1947, the son of David Joel Jones and Helen Wanetta Gwendlyn Stone. His life journey brought him full circle back to his birthplace.

He spent a large portion of his childhood in North Carolina and South Carolina. He moved from one end of Skyland Drive in Columbia, South Carolina to the other where he became friends with his future wife, Darby Ann Engel, who lived across the street.

Douglas enrolled in the Air Force ROTC program as a freshman in 1965, while getting his Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Medicine from Clemson University. Using his ROTC money that he earned each month, he built up enough cash and courage to marry Darby on August 12th, 1967 in Columbia, South Carolina.

Upon completing his degree in 1969, he entered the Air Force and spent his first 10 months at Keesler AFB becoming a Communications Maintenance Officer. From Keesler AFB to his final assignment at the Pentagon, he served 21 years and worked on a variety of communication assignments, including supporting POTUS’s planes, Air Force One. He retired after achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Upon his exit from the Air Force, he became a ‘beltway bandit’ and continued to support communications for the government until his second retirement in 2015.

Douglas’ favorite sport? He would say eating, but he was an avid Clemson Tigers football fan and became an active alumni member with the local Raleigh chapter. He always enjoyed March Madness, College World Series, The Masters, as well as any ACC sporting contest.

In addition to Darby, he is survived by his brother, David Jones Jr.; his four sons, Douglas, David (Dee), Kyle and Jonathan (Melissa) Jones; and his five grandchildren, Erin, Matthew, Caleb, Samuel and Jeremiah.

The family is planning on having a memorial mass in the next couple of months up in Northern Virginia to celebrate Douglas’ life. Time and place are TBD. A graveside service for Douglas will be held Thursday, July 22, 2021 at 2:00 PM at Beaufort National Cemetery, 1601 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his name to his hospice center, Transitions LifeCare or a charity of your choice. The Transitions LifeCare address is 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607. Website link - https://www.transitionslifecare.org/donate/.

Thank you for all the support and love!!

The Jones Family