Donald Newton Jones

Donald Newton Jones passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 23, 2018, after a long illness. Don was the second youngest child of ten born to Rev. Alex Newton Jones, and Mary (Cash) Jones. Born in Joplin, MO, Don's early years were spent in Waldron, AR, until the fourth grade when the family moved to Bakersfield, CA.

In his second year of high school, the family returned to Waldron where Don played offensive tackle for the Waldron High School football team. He graduated in 1950, and after declining an Ole Miss football scholarship, drove to Bakersfield, CA, where his sisters lived. There he met LaDonna Downen, and the two were dating when he was drafted and sent to Korea in 1952. Upon his return, Don and LaDonna married in 1954, in Bakersfield. In 1957, they moved to Fresno, CA, where Don completed his accounting degree at Fresno State College. As a Certified Public Accountant, he worked for 60 years in the profession including as Partner-In-Charge of KPMG Fresno until 1989. After retiring from KPMG, Don was a partner in the firm of Scharton, Jones and German until he became ill in 2017.

Over the course of his career, Don served in leadership roles with the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the AICPA, and the State Board of Accountancy. Don's most rewarding work was serving on the Board of Advisors for The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens from 1999 to 2017, and on the Board of Directors of its management company, ABHOW (American Baptist Homes of the West).

Don was a football enthusiast and Fresno State Bulldog fan. He loved life and spent time away from his desk attending Fresno State games, towing his fifth wheel to Carmel, CA, or "commandeering" his many kinds of boats. His greatest joy was family and he delighted in telling each grandchild that he or she was his favorite.

He was preceded in death in October of 2017, by his brother and best friend, Alex Jones.

He is survived by his loving wife, LaDonna, of 63 years; his children, David Jones and his wife Karen Fong, and Denise Davis and her husband Conrad; and grandchildren, Sydney Davis, Drake Jones, Chase Davis, and Meileen Jones. He is also survived by his sister, Dortha Wilson of Bakersfield, CA; and many nieces and nephews.

A service to Celebrate Don's Life will be held at The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens, 5555 N. Fresno Street, Tolladay Theatre, on Saturday, February 3, 2018, at 2:00 p.m.

Remembrances in honor of Don's life may be made to The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens Foundation, 5555 N. Fresno Street, Fresno, CA 93710.