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Robert F. Jones, a resident of Albuquerque since 1948, died peacefully at the age of 95 on June 10, 2006. He is survived by three children, Sally White New, Gwyneth Cravens, and William L. Jones; and by three grandchildren, Peter White, Astrid Dove Cravens, and Erin Jones Fuller. He was preceded in death in 1997 by his wife of 58 years, Sylvia Bradbury Jones. He was born on a homestead in western South Dakota and attended the University of North Dakota. During the Depression, he herded sheep and read voraciously. He served in Europe in World War II as a photogrammetrist and cartographer, creating the maps that were used for the D-Day landing in Normandy. After moving to New Mexico, he worked as a surveyor and mapmaker for the U.S. Forest Service and later for Kirtland AFB. At the age of 60 he took up running and won prizes in senior races and continued running into his 80s. On visits to Mexico after retirement, he taught himself to surf. He was a member of the Masons for over 50 years, and also of the Society of American Military Engineers. A believer in the sanctity of civil liberties and equal rights for all, he supported the American Civil Liberties Union by collecting aluminum cans and donating the proceeds from their sale. He was one of the early members of the First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. He loved to read, to do puzzles of all kinds, to listen to and play music, and to garden. He revered learning and encouraged his children and grandchildren to get good educations. He took pride in being a veteran. His ashes, along with Sylvia's, have been interred at the Santa Fe National Cemetery. The family would like to thank those dedicated people who made his final years happy and comfortable: the owners of Prime Care Living's Stardust House, Tom and Rhonda Dimperio, managers, Janet Gutierrez and Erica Rominger, Stardust staff, Elizabeth Black and Lynnae Jaiquiri, and his nurse, Dania Pruess, of Hospice de la Luz. Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 on September 28, 2006 at the First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to the First Unitarian Church Memorial Fund.
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