Donald R. Jones, 88, surrounded by those he loved and who loved him, died peacefully on Monday, May 6, 2019. He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Vrai V. Jones, his parents Arthur and Evelyn Jones, and brothers Art and Ralph Jones. He is survived by daughter Laurie Freeman and husband Pat, son Vince Jones and wife Veronica, and grandchildren Brian Freeman and fiancée Darcy, Nancy Freeman McBee and husband Jack, Cara Freeman, Michael Jones, and Avery Jones. He is also survived by his brother Bob Jones and wife Shari, and sister-in-law Luan Jones.
Don was born in Chicago on October 13, 1930. He spent most of his childhood in Los Angeles and had many stories of the fun and adventures he had with his three brothers. Don graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles. He received a B.A. in Geology from UCLA in 1953 and a M.S. in Operations Research from the University of Houston in 1970.
After serving two years in the U.S. Air Force as an Intelligence Officer, Don was employed by Marathon Oil Company as an exploration geologist. He later went to work at TransOcean Oil as an evaluation engineer and American Exploration Company as Vice President of Exploration and Production. One of his favorite adventures was the time he spent as a consultant in Buenos Aires with his good friend Warren Hawkins.
Don and Vrai were married in 1954 and lived together in Victorville, California, Midland and Corpus Christi Texas, and Denver. They spent most of their married life in Houston and Don was lucky to be able to live out his life in his beloved home he and Vrai bought in 1966. They raised their children there and hosted grandchildren sleepovers and family time. “Pa” was the patriarch of his family and could not have been a more loving father or grandfather.
Don was a very devout Christian and loved his church, St. Mark’s Episcopal. He served his church in many roles including serving on the vestry and being a reader and Sunday school teacher. He served his community as a Boy Scout leader for many years, as well as a Literacy Advance volunteer.
Don loved history, especially the history of the Civil War and Irish history. He wrote a methodically researched book, “The Harp and the Eagle”, about Irish Brigade leader Thomas Meagher. This book took him 20 years to write and was a great source of pride for Don.
Don was very adventurous and loved camping and travel. He loved taking his children and grandchildren on camping trips. Don was very proud to have visited all 50 states and many countries. Don and Vrai celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with the whole family in the Grand Tetons. Don loved visiting Vince and his family in Oregon, especially the times at their beautiful beach house. This past October he celebrated his granddaughter Nancy’s wedding in Austin, and his daughter Laurie was very proud to have him walk her down the aisle a second time. His last trip was to Boston this past December for his grandson Brian’s engagement party.
Don was an active 88 year- old and his mind was as sharp as ever, partially due to being a vicarious reader with a thirst for knowledge, and a propensity for doing crossword puzzles in ink. Our Dad and “Pa” leaves many friends, neighbors, and family that love him. He accomplished much in his business career. But the greatest legacy he left to us, his children and grandchildren, is to enjoy life!
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