James Austin Jones was born in Mason City, Iowa, on August 24, 1939. He passed away in his sleep on March 19, 2023, at home in Sequim after a year of battling bone marrow cancer.
He grew up in Mason City with his three sisters: Penny, Suzie, and Barb before graduating from the University of Iowa. His career in sales began in Denver, Colorado in 1961. He married Janet Mast Jones in Waterloo, Iowa, in December of that year. They had two boys in Denver, Eric and Andrew.
The family moved to Skokie, Illinois, when Jim’s job took him to the American Hospital Supply Scientific Products office in Evanston, Illinois. His next promotion took him to Needham, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. In 1968 he moved the family to Tucker, Georgia, where Christopher and Wendy were added to the family. The next move took him to Libertyville, Illinois, where he was the scoutmaster for the troop based out of St. Joseph’s Church. They did a lot of camping, including a trip to Philmont. A new job with VWR Scientific Products found him in Foster City, California. After three years, the family moved to Bellevue, Washington, where he did a lot of hiking, and eventually summitted Mount Rainier with his two brothers-in-law and nephew. VWR took him to Concordville Pennsylvania then finally back to near Libertyville.
In 2000, Jim retired to a new house in Sequim, Washington, and continued with hikes and bought a boat to explore the northern waters of the Salish Sea. He joined the local sail and power squadron and served one year as squadron and district commander as well as commodore of the Sequim Bay Yacht Club. He also played golf at Sunland Golf Club, participated in Rotary, worked as an ombudsman for residents calling on assisted living and nursing homes, and the Knights of Columbus making many friends along the way.
Jim is survived by his wife, Janet; four children; and six grandchildren. His funeral will be held at St. Joseph’s Church in Sequim at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 14, followed by a reception in the parish hall.
