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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Gordon W.

Gordon W. Jones Profile Photo

Jones

November 30, 1930 – February 15, 2012

Obituary

Birthplace: Wales, Iowa Resided In: Ft. Collins, Colorado Gordon Wayne Jones Obituary November 8, 1930 - February 15, 2012 Gordon Jones, age 81, of Ft. Collins, Colorado passed away Wednesday, February 15, 2012 in Colorado. Gordon Wayne Jones was born November 8, 1930 on a farm in Lincoln Township of Montgomery County, near the town of Wales, Iowa, as an only child to the parents of Marjorie Wubker and Clifford Jones. He was born in the same house as his father, which his paternal grandfather, who immigrated from Wales in 1874, built in 1876. Gordon grew up on the farm helping his parents with the chores of growing crops and raising livestock, and enjoyed the company of many relatives. In 1948, Gordon graduated Wales High School then made a journey across the state to attend Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa from 1948 to 1952 becoming president of his fraternity, Kappa Theta Psi, and graduated with a business degree. After graduation, Gordon received his draft notice for the Korean War yet was allowed deferment to assist his father on the farm for three months after his mother's sudden passing. Following Labor Day 1952, he departed for basic training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 265th Army Atomic Artillery Unit, and went on to be stationed in Germany avoiding Korea. After returning to the States, he was sent to Nevada where he was assigned attendance at the first nuclear rocket missile launch Upshot Knothole -Grable. Upon discharge and returning to Iowa, he worked for a brief time in Red Oak for the Firestone Tire Company before moving to Des Moines where began a job in the farm/residential mortgage department at the (former) Bankers Life Corporation who had their headquarters in Des Moines, which later became the Principal Financial Group in 1985. In 1955, he met his first wife, Carol Jeanne Weeks (deceased, 1999), who worked in the actuarial department at the Bankers Life. They married in 1957, and gave birth to their first child, a daughter, Cynthia (Cindy) Jean Jones, in 1960 (deceased, 1983), and a second, a son, Mark in 1965. Little did Gordon know that after assignments requiring moves to residential field offices in Dallas, Texas, Champaign, Illinois, Kokomo, Indiana, back to Dallas, then Aurora, Illinois near Chicago, he would return to his beginnings at the home office in Des Moines in 1972 where he would go on to be a senior vice president in the Residential Mortgage department eventually retiring in 1995. Gordon was devoted to his family and extended family cherishing those relationships. He also cherished the relationships of friends, coworkers, and neighbors. All who knew him have shared the same theme that he "did not know a stranger," and that many always felt they could "come to him for a caring ear." Gordon loved to read, (especially history), tinker on projects around the house, and take care of his home and landscaping. He also enjoyed traveling and researching history in addition to spending time with family and friends both local and afar, and in retirement enjoyed golf. He was also a member of the Sertoma Club. In recent years Gordon met Ruth Fletcher in Des Moines and they eventually married in 2004 relocating to Fort Collins, Colorado where Ruth's daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren lived, and his son in nearby Denver. In Fort Collins, both Gordon and Ruth joined the Newcomers Group, and enjoyed friends and neighbors, tried new restaurants, and played golf. They frequently traveled to back to Iowa, and visited the southwestern United States. Gordon served as financial officer for their homeowner's association for 5 years. In the past year he savored sharing time with family, friends, and neighbors whether it be in person or through letters and phone calls, or those who stopped through for a visit. Gordon was preceded in death by his mother and father, Marjorie and Clifford, his first wife and mother of his children, Carol, and daughter Cindy. His current wife Ruth Fletcher-Jones, and his son Mark both reside in Ft. Collins. Funeral services will be held 2 PM Saturday, February 25, 2012 at the Wales Presbyterian Church in Wales, Iowa. Burial will be in the Gomer Cemetery at Wales. Visitation with the family will be held one hour prior to the funeral at the Wales Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Wales United Presbyterian Church. Nelson-Boylan-LeRette Funeral Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation:
Date: 2/25/2012 Time: 1-2 PM Comments: Family will be present during visitation. Wales United Presbyterian Church RR 1 Wales, IA Get a Map Driving Directions
Service:
Date: 2/25/2012 Time: 2 PM Comments: Wales United Presbyterian Church RR 1 Wales, IA Get a Map Driving Directions
Burial:
Date: 2/25/2012 Time: Following services Comments: Gomer Cemetery Wales, IA Get a Map Driving Directions
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