1942-2021

Larry Oliver Jones was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland, on July 11, 1942, to Harry and Mary Jones. Larry’s twin brother Harry followed him into the world about three hours later, and they joined their 5-year-old sister, Patty.

Larry and his brother were active little boys who occasionally got into some mischief. Growing up around water, Larry discovered his love of fishing early on. He spent a lot of his childhood days fishing and catching clams and crabs in the Chesapeake Bay. He also began his habit of working hard at age 13, selling newspapers six days a week from a wagon.

At Havre de Grace High School, Larry played football, basketball, and baseball and was team captain for basketball and football his junior and senior years. In football, he was the center, hiking the ball to his brother, who was the quarterback. Though he may have earned the nickname “Lightning” as a facetious reference to his speed, Larry was still named Most Athletic his senior year. He graduated in 1960, with everyone in his yearbook writing about how nice he was.

After graduation he enlisted in the Air Force. He attended basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi, and was then given his first assignment in Communications at Ent Air Force Base in Colorado Springs (the current site of the Olympic Training Center).

In the summer of 1962, Larry began dating Marie Massey. To take her out to nice restaurants, he used to hock his watch and then would return after receiving his monthly payday to buy it back. Larry was always conservative with money, but never when it came to Marie.

Their relationship would be tested when Larry was assigned to the Philippines. They agreed that if they still felt the same way when Larry got back to the States, they would get married. As it turned out, they couldn’t wait that long. During one of their phone conversations, Larry proposed. Marie flew to Clark Air Force Base on Luzon Island, and they were married December 10, 1963.

After they were married, Larry accepted Christ’s offer of salvation at an Overseas Christian Servicemen’s Centers meeting on base. He was baptized in the South China Sea.

Sixteen months after Larry and Marie were married, their daughter Jana was born. Seven weeks later Larry’s assignment at Clark came to an end, and the young family returned to Colorado Springs. They lived for a time in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where Larry was stationed at Westover Air Force Base, before he was transferred to Thailand. During his year-long deployment there, Marie and Jana lived in Odessa, Texas, with Marie’s parents. When Larry returned to the States, they moved to Colorado Springs, where Larry worked at NORAD. He retired from the Air Force in 1969 and went on to work at Ampex for 25 years.

In addition to Jana, the family grew to include three more children: Kevin, Kristi, and Josh. Larry took every available extra shift at Ampex to support his family. Though he spent a lot of time providing for his kids, Larry also took time to play with them. He went to all of their musical and sports events and coached a number of their teams. He took his family to Estes Park each summer, where he loved to fish the Big Thompson.

Most Sunday mornings at the Jones house meant donuts picked up by Dad and then church at Mesa Hills Bible Church, where Larry served at various times as both an elder and a deacon.

Larry and Marie’s family expanded to include Jana’s husband Mark Smit, Kevin’s wife Leura, Kristi’s husband Kjell Lindgren, and Josh’s wife Michelle, and eventually 13 grandchildren: Kylee, Andrew (wife Michelle), and Jared Smit; Braden, Addison, Brooklyn, and Camryn Jones; Alexandra, Kai, and Tor Lindgren; and Noah, Ann, and Mara Jones. 

After leaving Ampex, Larry oversaw a Kirby vacuum distributorship and later worked at his son Kevin’s business, Import Specialty Auto, where he enjoyed giving rides to customers. He and Marie worked as event staff at the Air Force Academy, took many trips, and spent a lot of time in the mountains. They attended Grandparents Days, sports events, concerts, birthdays, and graduations of every grandchild. Larry was always eager to be an extra set of hands as we raised our kids. He was a frequent visitor at all of our houses, where he never showed up empty handed. Though a minimalist himself, Larry was generous with all of us that he loved.

His grandkids appreciated the individual time he spent with all of them—he tried to teach every one of them how to fish, mostly to no avail—and the hospitality he always showed when they visited his house. Grandpa J always made you feel welcome and well cared for.

At the age of 78, Larry passed away due to COVID-related illness with his family by his side on Saturday, April 17, 2021. Jana had her hand on his chest and felt the very last beat of his heart as he entered the presence of His Lord and Savior.

What does “the good life” look like? Larry knew. For him, it was all about taking care of his family and seeing that all their needs were met. It was doting on Marie and enjoying her happiness. He was a selfless man, always putting other people first. He was never front and center but always ready to serve behind the scenes. He was gentle, understanding, and compassionate. He was kind to his core. He provided an example for his sons of how a man should love his wife and kids, and he set a high bar for his daughters for what kind of man to marry. His family is his legacy, built on his kindness, steadiness, consistency, and faithfulness. Larry Jones lived a very, very good life.

A celebration of this good life is planned for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 16, at Cragmor Christian Reformed Church in Colorado Springs.