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Frank S. Jones, 65, a physician and friend to many in Albuquerque since 1976, died in his sleep on Sunday, October 22, 2006 after battling cancer for 10 years. Having treated New Mexicans for on-the-job injuries during his decades as a doctor of occupational medicine, Frank also picked up spirits by singing with local barbershop choruses and cooking brunch for his wife and two sons every Sunday. The son of a steelworker and a schoolteacher, Frank Shearer Jones was born and raised in Canton, OH in the 1940s and 50s. There he learned the importance of personal responsibility, relentless resolve, and Buckeye football. In 1968, he and his bride, Carole Widmaier, also a doctor, joined the Army and served in Vietnam. They spent six months in Long Binh and another six in Can Tho City, where his commanding officer described their crucial contribution in setting up "the finest medical treatment center in the Mekong Delta." Frank later joked about going through basic training with "a bunch of other scared M.D.s trying not to get their butts shot off." Upon their discharge, he and Carole were both awarded the Bronze Star. After the birth of their two sons, Jeff and Greg, and three years of preventive medicine residency at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC, Frank worked in Champaign, IL for three years in the emergency room at Carle Clinic. Frank and Carole then moved to Albuquerque to work at Lovelace Clinic. Frank and a few partners went on to found the Center for Occupational Medicine and later Albuquerque Industrial Medicine. Toward the end of his career, he worked for the occupational medicine clinic at Presbyterian Hospital. Known for his keen diagnostic abilities, Frank once prolonged the life of Maxie Anderson, the well-known balloonist, by discovering a malignant melanoma during a routine exam. A lifelong lover of music, Frank played piano and also sang lead for the New MexiChords men's barbershop chorus as well as the Duke City Chorus. He could often be heard humming "Lida Rose" as he puttered around the house on the weekends. During his retirement, Frank also enjoyed playing cards at Albuquerque Bridge Club. Frank earned an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh and is a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He graduated from medical school at Ohio State University and followed the Buckeyes' gridiron adventures the rest of his life, including a trip to the 1997 Rose Bowl to watch his alma mater beat Arizona State in the last seconds. He is survived by his wife, sons, his daughters-in-law, Dawn Matheson Jones and Barbara Jones; and three grandchildren, Storm, Jory, and Hannah Jones. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 28, 2006, 5:00 p.m., at French Mortuary, Lomas Blvd. Chapel, 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE. Interment of the cremated remains will take place at Santa Fe National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to The New MexiChords, P.O. Box 22076, Albuquerque, NM, 87154-2076 or Duke City Chorus, P.O. Box 20904, Albuquerque, NM 87154-0904. French Mortuary 10500 Lomas Blvd. NE (505) 275-3500
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