Jack Leslie Jones

Jack Leslie Jones was born March 6, 1934 in Salt Lake City Utah to Edith and Thomas Jones.  He was the 2nd child of 4 kids.  He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He went to McKinley Elementary and graduated from South High School in Salt Lake City.

Soon after high school he worked at Hill Air Force Based and later joined the Air National Guard where he worked and retired after 38 years.  In this position he worked in the fabrication/sheet metal department repairing KC135 airplanes.  Strong friendships were created at this job that lasted through most of his life.   Jack was able to visit many countries in his position with the guard.  At the end of his career he was promoted to Chief Master Sargent where he was the Field Maintenance Supervisor.  He truly loved this job and had to be forced to retire.  Vance remembers hearing his mom talk about hearing his dad whistling most mornings while he was getting ready for work…at 5 am.  She couldn’t imagine why anyone could be so happy that early in the morning.

Jack married Lilli Marie Pucci on May 29, 1959.    In October of the following year their son Vance Alan was born.  They lived in Taylorsville until 1973 and then moved to Farmington, Utah.   To be closer to Vance and his family they then moved to Holliday Utah where they lived until Lilli passed away on December 26, 1995.

On December 19, 1997 Jack married Joan Christensen in Bountiful, Utah where they resided until his death on March 30, 2017.

Jack was not content to be retired. Shortly after marrying Joan he worked with her son-in-law Reed where he would have stayed until his death if his health and age had allowed. Jack loved work and loved to stay busy.

Jack had one child (Vance) and 3 grandchildren (Tyler, Lindsay and Carson) and two great grandchildren (Nevaeh and Beckham).    Jacks wife Joan has 4 children (Joni, Stephanie, Cory, and Troy), 17 grandchildren and 11 great grand children.   Jack was his very happiest spending time with all of his family.  He loved them and they loved him.

Jack had a passion for history, especially World War II.  He was very knowledgeable and loved sharing it with grandchildren…or anyone that would listen.  

Once Jack got his drivers license, he had a real love of cars.  He seemed to remember every detail of every car he owned.

Jack was literally a “Jack of all trades”.  He could build or repair anything.  He especially loved working with his hands.  In his earlier years he made and sold swag lamps and stained glass.  He spent hours at several of Vance’s houses helping him refinish basements.    He also built and installed ducts for swamp coolers.

Jack loved fishing and camping and spent many nights in the mountains with Vance and his grandkids.  Carson and Tyler have great memories of hours along the fishing bank listening to funny stories about anything and everything. 

Jack loved all sports.  Vance remembers spending many nights watching games with his dad.  He especially loved Utah football and had season tickets until his health no longer allow him to go.

He had a love of old movies and when Vance was in high school introduced him to Gaslight theatre.  They loved watching old movies together.

Jack was fairly obedient child but his sister Sharon did recall a funny story about when he was only 4 years old.   His dad had gone in to work at Clover Leaf Dairy and was going to come home shortly and take his family to a parade.  Jack had been told by his mother to sit on the front porch and wait for her to get the other kids ready.  The family lived in a home one block east of 1800 south State Street.  Well….Jack decided to head out all by himself…. down State Street…(at 4 years old)… to find his dad.  He made it all the way to his work where he was told his dad was no longer there so he then followed the parade route all the way to Liberty Park where a few kind people fed him.  About this time his dad got home and his mother realized that he was missing.  They immediately went looking for him and found him slowly winding his way home.  His dad threatened all kinds of punishment for him misbehaving but in the ended just treated him to an ice cream cone.

Jack was honest through and through.  He was a man of great character.  Sometimes that honestly didn’t always benefit others.  There was an occasion when he was younger, he and his older brother Dick were playing ball at their elementary school and Dick threw one ball that broke a window.  The next day at school the teacher asked if anyone knew anything about the broken window.  Jack immediately raised his hand to confess to everyone that yes it had been his brother Dick who was guilty of the crime.  I’m sure Dick didn’t always appreciate his honesty!

Jack was a kind gentle soul.  He was a peacemaker and always saw the best in everyone.  Anyone who knew him knew that he NEVER had an unkind thing to say about anyone.  He was always very happy and never seemed to let anything get him down.    Jack loved his country and he was very patriotic.  We all loved Jack Jones! He was a great example of what a dad, grandfather, brother, husband and friend should be.   He will be sorely missed!

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at the Orchard 13th ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 261 East Center Street, North Salt Lake, Utah.   There will be a viewing held prior to the funeral from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. that morning. Interment will be at the Murray City Cemetery.