DWAYNE ALDEN JONES

LAMAR- Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church in Lamar for Dwayne Alden Jones, 82, Lamar, who died Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, at Cox Barton County Hospital in Lamar. Burial will follow at Lake Cemetery in Lamar.

Visitation will be held at the church prior to the service, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Arrangements are under the direction of Daniel Funeral Home.

Contributions are suggested and made payable to the USO or Wounded Warriors, in care of the funeral home.

Condolences may be shared at www.dfhlamar.com.

Survivors include is his wife, Linda; three sons, Michael Jones and wife Mellody, Laurie, Richard Jones, Lakewood, Wash. and Mark Jones and wife Frances, Great Lakes, Ill.; two daughters, Jennifer Sanden and husband Greg, Lamar and Terrelyn Watts and fiance Greg Eldred, Lamar; nine grandchildren, Nathan Sanden, Jorie Sanden, Gillian Watts, Bethany Jones, Dwayne Watts, Wiley Watts, Kathaleya Jones, Kiarra Jones and Kadence Jones; one great-grandchild, Grayson Sanden and one sister, Janice Orahood, Lamar.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Marjorie; his parents; an infant sister, Beverly Jones; stepfather, Gerald Cornwell and stepfather, Elbert Orahood and a brother-in-law, Dan Orahood.

Mr. Jones was born Jan. 19, 1940, in Golden City, to Glen Jones and Lena Bernease (Williams) Jones. He graduated from Lamar High School in the class of 1958. After graduation he joined the U.S. Navy and attended boot camp in San Diego, Calif. He was assigned to a heavy cruiser, the USS Toledo out of Long Beach, Calif.

He made one Pacific cruise in 1959, with stops in Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Okinawa, Philippines, Guam and Saigon, South Vietnam. He was released from active duty in 1960 as a 3rd class ship fitter metal smith. He continued with the US Navy Reserve after active duty but switched to aviation metal smith and joined an aviation squadron VS-81. It was based at North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego, Calif., where they flew S2F anti submarine aircraft, which he flew as a crewman, operating some of the sensors used to detect submarines. It was a carrier aircraft and he got a cat shot off the carrier USS Ticonderoga while in his squadron. It was a quite a ride he said. While in this squadron, if he wanted to continue to fly, he had to change to aircrew operator and at that time was a 1st Class Petty Officer.

VS-81 was decommissioned in 1975 and he then transferred to VP-65 at Point Mugu Naval Air Station in Point Mugu, California. This squadron flew P-3 aircraft and is strictly land based. He remained in this squadron until 1987 when he retired as a Chief Petty Officer with 30 years served. After retiring from the U.S. Navy, he received his associates degree in aeronautical engineering even though he never worked in the field. He then went to work for Shell Oil in 1967 starting out as a truck driver and then switched to dispatching tanker trucks. He then retired from this job after 27 years.

Mr. Jones met his first wife, Marjorie Deborah (Ball) Jones in 1960 and they married in July of 1962. She died of cancer in 1981, just a month short of their 19th wedding anniversary.

He then met his current wife, Ederlinda (Linda) Flores Jones in 1982, they were married on Sept. 2, 1985 in Olongapo, Philippines. In July of 1994, they moved back to Lamar and raised miniature horses for a while. They would have celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary next month.