Born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Tom was the son of the late Verlie V. Tyler and Tom J. Jones. Soon after graduating from Charleston High School in 1952, he entered the Air Force and was stationed at McChord AFB (JBLM) in Washington state. Though disappointed when he arrived that it was not Washington DC as he had expected, he was fortunate to meet the love of his life Norma Drewry. They were married for 60 beautiful years and raised three children together before she passed in 2017.
Tom was a beacon in the Olympia sports community. His love for the game kept him playing fastpitch locally for over thirty years. He was also passionate about officiating football, basketball, and slow pitch and was selected to officiate numerous state tournaments. He served on the board for the Washington Officials Association and also worked as the assigning secretary for South Sound Football and South Sound Basketball Associations. Because of his extended service as an official, both mentoring the next generation and his time serving many associations, Tom was inducted into the Washington Officials Association Hall of Fame. Tom also loved coaching and for over a decade he was the head coach for Olympia High School Girls Fastpitch team, where he led them to a historic 3rd place win at State. He worked devotedly to shape the programs and youth that he worked with. His “tell it like it is”, hard working attitude will be remembered for a lifetime to come.
Tom is survived by his children, Frank (Dana) Danford, Jane Brugge, Thomas (Heather) Jones II; five grandchildren, Larry (Allison) Nelson, Amber Danford, Jordan (Savannah) Jones, Stacey (Brandon) Minton, Alicia (Britton) Nash and his 15 great-grandchildren.
His funeral service will be held on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 2:07 PM, Mills & Mills Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 5725 Littlerock Rd SW, Tumwater, WA
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made out to South Sound Basketball Officials Association. The Tom Jones Sr. Memorial account has been created and will be used to help new officials offset some of their start-up costs ensuring that Tom’s legacy of helping the next generation of officials lives on. To donate please write a check to SSBOA/Tom Jones SR. Memorial (Acct. # 142-57-91) and send to or stop by any TwinStar Credit Union PO Box 718 Olympia WA 98507
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