John B Jones, Jr.
Marriages
Othel Lee Hale - August 28, 1941
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5 B Obituary - March 28, 2013
John was born April 15, 1919, in
Forney, Texas to John B. Jones
Sr. and Minnie Mae (Edwards)
Jones. He was raised as a child in
Forney and Plano, Texas. He died
Ma r c h 2 0 , 2 0 1 3 , i n N e w t o n ,
Iowa.
He attended Wesley Junior College
in Greenville, Texas, from
1937 to 1938. He then attended
Oklahoma A & M in Stillwater and graduated in 1942, with a
bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. He married Othel Lee
Hale on August 28, 1941 in Plano, Texas. It was a double wedding
with his brother, George and his wife, before a Justice of the Peace.
Othel is now deceased, having passed away on October 25, 2006, at
the age of 84. John was raised in the Methodist Church. He renewed
his faith in the Lord Jesus in the latter years of his life.
After college, he worked with the U.S. Bureau of Mines in Bartlesville,
OK. He enlisted in the United States Navy as an officer and
retired as a Lt. JG. He is a World War II veteran. He will be laid to
rest today appropriately with full military honors next to his wife at
Sunset Memorial Gardens in Greeley, Colorado.
He returned after the war to the Bureau of Mines and worked at
Anvil Points in Western Colorado as chemical engineer with the experimental
project of oil shale processing. In 1954, he moved to
Denver and established Cameron and Jones Engineering. He furthered
his engineering career in Brazil, working with Petrobrass, developing
their oil shale industry. He spoke fluent Portuguese as a result.
Subsequently, in 1960, he started his own company called DEI
(Development Engineering, Inc.), which involved the invention of
new technology to convert limestone to quick lime. In the early
1970's, John invented a new technology that created oil directly
from oil shale rock. As a natural progression, a company called
Paraho was created in Grand Junction, Colorado, that proved the viability
of the Paraho oil shale retorting process. John secured 17
various oil companies to help fund the project to determine the economic
feasibility of using shale oil. The Department of Defense
tested the shale oil in jet fuel, gasoline, and diesel. The outcome was
a success. Ultimately, John formed his last company called Jones
and Associates, which focused on improving the limestone technology
and used it in sugar beet processing. This is what brought him to
the Greeley area. He held over 25 patents in his various industrial
fields. He did not retire until age 87.
John was a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering,
American Rifle Association, and Christian Broadcasting
Network. He enjoyed the hobbies of carpentry and gardening. His
rose bushes were always a source of pleasure and satisfaction to
John. He was an avid storyteller. He enjoyed entertaining people and
hosting parties. His keen sense of humor and positive attitude
seemed to charm his many audiences.
Survivors include his daughter, Patricia Ann Brown and husband,
Philip of Deer Trail, Colorado; and two sons, Donald Burnett Jones
and wife, Eilene of Newton, Iowa, and Kenneth Alan Jones and
wife, Cynthia of Raleigh, NC; a sister-in -law, Edna Hale of Westminster,
Texas also survives. There are five grandchildren, Chad
Jones of Denver, CO; Noelle Jones of Newton, IA; Timothy Halfa -
cre of Westbrook, ME, and Brian Halfacre of Raleigh, NC, and 12
great-grandchildren, Caleb, Abigail, Ethan, Maximus, Madeline,
Sheridan, Aurora, Carter, Garrett, Ethan, Elara, and Lucas.
John was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Othel Lee
Jones; John B. Jones, Sr., his father; Minnie Mae, his mother, and
George Jones, his brother.
Please visit www.stoddardsunset.com to sign online guestbook.
