Bruce Edward Jones

Bruce E. Jones, a longtime Everett attorney, died on November 1, 2020 after a brief illness at the age of 86. He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Joyce Jones. He will be remembered as the Everett City Attorney from 1969 to 1974 and then again from 1980 to 1992. He was also a partner at the Everett law firm of Newton Kight from 1992 until he retired in 2012.

Bruce was born in Wichita, Kansas in December of 1933 to Harry Jones and Eva Jones (nee Crawford). His father was a traveling salesman and he moved around a lot as a child, but he went to high school in Dallas Texas where he graduated from Highland Park High School in 1950. He enrolled in the University of Texas "plan two" liberal arts program in Austin, Texas, where he ultimately met the love of his life, Joyce L. Jones (nee Fillinger), and they were married in 1955. They both graduated from the University of Texas with Bruce earning a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. They moved to Columbus, Ohio where he took a job working for the Battelle Memorial Institute as a technical librarian. By 1959 with five young children to support, he enrolled at Franklin University night law school and received his Juris Doctorate in 1964. The young family decided to move to Washington State and he transferred to Battelle Northwest in Richland, Washington where he received a top secret security clearance and worked for a few years as a contract attorney reviewing defense contracts at the Hanford Reservation. But he found this work tedious and longed to become a trial attorney. He was hired by former Snohomish County Prosecutor Robert Schillberg as a Deputy Prosecutor in 1967 and moved his young family to Edmonds. At the Snohomish County Prosecutor's office, Bruce met many of the people who would become his lifelong friends.

Bruce enjoyed the thrill of being a criminal Prosecutor but when Everett City Attorney, Les Cooper, decided to retire from the City in 1969, Bruce was hired by Mayor Robert C. Anderson as the City Attorney. In his new position he always appreciated the mentoring he received as he was starting out by Mr. Cooper. Although he enjoyed the work as the City Attorney, he had a large family to support and decided to resign as fulltime City Attorney to start up a private law practice in downtown Edmonds with his friend and partner, Walter "Buck" Sellers. "Sellers and Jones" started slowly and Bruce continued to supplement his income by working as a part-time Assistant City Attorney over the next few years.

In 1980, when Brad Cattle left the position of City Attorney to go into private practice, Everett Mayor William E. Moore and Chief Administrative Assistant Jim Langus, asked Bruce to come back as full time City Attorney, and he accepted that position again until his retirement in 1992. But he wasn't ready to give up the practice of law, and accepted a position as a partner with Henry Newton and Mike Kight at the Newton Kight law firm where he took over from Judge Ronald Castleberry, when Judge Castleberry joined the Snohomish County Superior Court. Bruce practiced law with Newton Kight until he finally retired in 2012 at the age of 79.

Bruce will be remembered for his towering frame (he was six foot six inches in height) and his roaring laughter that was always remembered by all who heard it echoing through the corridors of the old City Hall. He had a tremendous sense of humor and an optimistic outlook, and was always able to look on the bright side of any situation. He was known at the City for his calming presence when tensions mounted at City Council meetings.

Bruce loved movies of all kinds but had a special fondness for Hollywood musicals (especially the dancing of Fred Astaire) and the comedy of Laurel and Hardy. He also loved music, especially Jazz piano, and tried to play the piano himself, often testing the patience of his wife and family as he clumsily picked his way through "The Maple Leaf Rag". In his youth, he played pickup basketball at the YMCA where it was said that he was tall but he couldn't jump. His favorite activity was going to lunch with his friends and colleagues, and he will be missed by the remaining regulars at the "old guys lunch" group, his friends and fellow former Prosecutors and City attorneys, Allen Hendricks and Mark T. Patterson. He will always be remembered by his friends and colleagues at the City of Everett, as well as his former partners and the staff at the Newton Kight law firm.

Bruce and Joyce lived in downtown Edmonds for over 40 years where they raised five children: Sheila Heather Elizabeth Jones (Bergstedt) (died in 2015) , Sean Charles Christopher Jones, Erin Patricia Kimberly Jones (MacNeill), Michael Geoffrey Geordon Jones and Brian Patrick Benjamin Jones. He is survived by four of his children, 11 grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren. After Joyce passed away in 2012, he finally left Edmonds to live with his son and daughter-in-law in Burlington.

His ashes will be interred at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Everett next to Joyce's, and a memorial service will be planned for 2021 after the pandemic quarantine has passed.