Kenneth R. Jones

Kenneth Jones died December 11, 2022 after a long, grinding struggle with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. He is pre-deceased by his wife Elizabeth (Cwiekalo) Jones, and his parents Alonzo and Pearl (Dietrich) Jones. He is survived by a brother Robert Jones, daughters Rebecca Jones, Jennifer English and husband Daniel English, and Rachel Jones-Sybor and husband James Sybor; and by grandchildren Jacob, Jack, and Annalise English, and Courtney Sybor.

Ken had, at his core, remarkable determination, work ethic and respect for independence that grew from his depression era childhood. There are great stories of Kenny scrabbling. to get by: running errands in the streets of Philadelphia; getting the new boys to caddy for the assistant principal who was a known cheapskate; pooling pennies to buy a movie ticket, then sneaking friends in through the side door. As a teen in Mount Penn, PA, he learned the electrician’s trade from his Uncle Herman, and he terrified his Aunt Anna by missing dinner and dragging in after dark, covered in soot because he’d been watching a fire.

Ken served on aircraft carriers maintaining aviation electronics in the Korean War. He joined the United States Navy on advice from his older brother Bob, who told him the Navy would let him sleep in a bed. Ken enjoyed the Navy. He earned a commendation for discovering a method to steam shrimp in parfait glasses in the dishwasher, this while serving KP duty after returning late from shore leave in Cuba. Ken entertained his family with many tales of his time in the Navy.

Ken met his wife Betty while attending night classes at Rutgers University on the GI Bill. They were married in 1967, and Ken was a devoted husband for more than fifty years.

Though he grew up a city boy, Ken loved the outdoors. An avid reader of natural science (and American history), he taught himself about birds, trees, weather and geology. Then he taught his daughters - first around the yard, then at local, state, and national parks far and wide. They recall many ambitious adventures with Ken: righting capsized sailboats; struggling out of the Grand Canyon in the summer heat; summiting Mount Washington at the end of a rope in an ice storm; and an epic trek around Jordan Pond when his daughters returned the favor by supporting him.

Ken spent many convivial Saturdays with his hiking group in the tri-state area. He was equally happy to lead or follow. Ken had many birding compatriots as well, including a few diehards with whom he shivered in a swamp waiting for sunrise, to take part in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas bird count. Over decades of birding Ken gave thousands of hours to ornithological research. After retirement, he and Betty participated in dozens of volunteer projects from Alaska to Florida.

Closer to home Ken was a dedicated church volunteer. He did any job, from mowing the five acres of grass at Holy Wisdom in Succasunna, to selling bingo cards at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Toms River.

Intellectually, Ken was an early adopter - he relished the challenges of beta technology. He built his first home computer in the early 80s with parts left over from his job at Bell Labs. He was a computer polyglot, and swore by 16-character randomly generated passwords. He had an engineer’s love of data. He tracked his gas mileage in a notebook kept in the glovebox of every car he owned (until car makers caught up to him and realized that was a neat feature).

Pragmatic, pedantic, and passionate, Ken taught his daughters both practical skills and things he believed just made life better. He somehow combined lessons in automotive maintenance and the Metropolitan Opera on Sunday afternoons in the garage. Ken loved many kinds of music. In his late thirties he enrolled in guitar lessons. He entertained his daughters by singing folk songs, and amused all children by wiggling his ears.

In things serious or fun, Ken wasn’t intimidated by big goals or the effort necessary to achieve them. Design and build a barn; learn to sail with only a daughter as crew; get fit and take a cross-Canadian bike tour; visit Italy.

Ken and Betty were great travelers, so that last might not seem like a big deal. But Ken got that wild idea in his ICU bed after a stroke. He made their trip to Italy a reality by working at cognitive and physical therapy until he was the star of rehab. He fought his battle with Parkinson’s with the same determination.

Throughout his life Ken focused on things that challenged and fascinated him. He had a strong moral core, an inquiring mind, an engineer’s eye for detail, and an innate wry sense of humor. He loved sharing his adventures with family and friends. He learned for the simple pleasure of learning. His curiosity, enthusiasm, and determination are an inspiration for us all.

A prayer service for Kenneth will commence at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 19th, 2022, at the Anderson and Campbell Funeral Home, 3010 Ridgeway Rd., Manchester NJ. Burial to follow at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle NJ Veterans Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Rd., Wrightstown, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, the New Jersey Audubon Society, or the educational charity of your choice.