JONES, DONALD N.

Funeral service for Donald N. Jones, 89, of Capitan will be Friday, Sept. 30, at 10:00 AM at the Canaan Trail Baptist Church at Angus, burial will be Monday, Oct. 3, at 1:30 PM at Santa Fe National Cemetery.

On September 22, 2011 Don had the joy of meeting his savior, Jesus Christ, as he faded peacefully from this life. He was born in LaGrange, WY on February 22, 1922 to Ralph and Mary Jones. Don was raised in Springer and Albuquerque, NM where he graduated from Albuquerque High School. He went on to UNM and was a Lobo football player until he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1942. He was a Marine Raider in WWII in the South Pacific. He survived four initial landings and returned home after being wounded in 1945.
Don then helped run the family business, the Jones Motor Company, the first automobile dealership in Albuquerque. He married Lola Davis on February 8, 1948 and had two daughters.

After the motor company was sold, Don and his family moved on to ranching in New Mexico and Colorado. They finally settled in California where Don sold fasteners for KAR Products until he retired.

Don and Lola moved back to New Mexico where he went into real estate. He eventually ended up in Capitan, via Farmington, Nogal and Roswell. Don was a great supporter of Capitan sports and missed very few games of any of his grandchildren or great-grandchildren. He was active in his church, Canaan Trail Baptist, as the “hugging greeter” and also active with his beloved seniors group in Roswell.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Lola; daughter, Kevin Cox; brother, Franklin and sister, Carol Gleason. He is survived by a daughter, Kelley Phillips and her husband Tom; sister, Marvie Woods-Thomson and her husband Bill; brother, Keith Jones and his wife, Marta; grandchildren, Travis Reid, Tye Phillips, Parker Phillips; great-grandchildren, Sidni and Bobby Hughes.