Bob Jones, 93, of Anita, Iowa passed away Sunday, January 17, 2021 at Caring Acres in Anita, Iowa. Bob is survived by his children: Kathryn Jones of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Timothy Jones of Chula Vista, California; Karrin (Joe) Dignoti of Paradise, Pennsylvania; and Peter (Sharon) Forst of Carl Junction, Missouri; grandchildren: Kirstin (David) Reid of Dallas, Texas; Adam Stilwell of Bradley, Illinois; Marren (Scott) Lyon of Harlan, Iowa; Nikolai Dignoti of Stoneham, Massachusetts; Jeanne Scriven of Oronogo, Missouri; and Julie (Chris) McCain of Carl Junction, Missouri; 14 great-grandchildren; two great-great-granddaughters; three nieces and two nephews; and special friend and close companion of 24 years, Rosie Schroeder. He is preceded in death by his parents, William and Loretta Jones; brothers, Byron Jones, Bernard Jones and two infant brothers; sister, Priscilla (Adolph) Paul; and infant great-grandson, Casey Stilwell.
Private family services will be held at a later date.
Robert Edward Jones (Bob) was born in Atlantic, Iowa on the 150th Anniversary of the American Flag, June 14, 1927, the son of a Welsh immigrant, William Jones, and his wife, Loretta Anita (Deeming) Jones of Anita. Bob was raised in Atlantic where he had a childhood friend, Bobby Noyce, who later became a co-founder of Intel Corporation and was known worldwide as The Man Behind the Micro-Chip. Bob received a fine education from the Atlantic schools and graduated from Atlantic High School with the Great Class of 1945. He held many warm memories of those years and his life-long friends. One of the favorite educators was the great coach, Doc Yates, who not only taught the boys how to play sports but taught them to be competitors – not only in the football games they played but in the “Game of Life”, which Bob considered to be an invaluable lesson. Years later, Doc was inducted into the Iowa High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
After graduating, Bob and many of his classmates enlisted in the U.S. Navy at the end of WWII in June of 1945; he was honorably discharged 13 months later. He commented often that they were all proud to be Americans and part of “the Greatest Generation”. After discharging from the Navy, Bob attended Iowa State College on the GI Bill and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry. The Commonwealth Edison Company of Chicago and Northern Illinois was looking for a forester so Bob took the job where he worked for 37 years.
Early in life when raising his family, he enjoyed many family vacations in the Cascade Mountains of North Central Washington where he climbed Buckskin as well as took trips to Missouri, Michigan, and many visits with family in Iowa. During Bob’s career years, he particularly enjoyed fishing for native trout and walleye in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with his old fishing partner, Charlie, whom Bob had met while working with “the company”. They fished together in the U.P. for 55 years. After retiring, Bob came back to the “green, green grass of home” where, with Clair Marnin, his beloved partner of 32 years, he enjoyed raising Red Angus cattle. Bob also enjoyed playing golf with the “Anita Wobblies” as well as with the Bobby Jones Golf Organization throughout the eastern part of the United States.
Bob enjoyed sharing his hard-won wisdom and stories with his family and friends. In Bob’s words, “I have always loved our home here in the hills of Southwest Iowa – to see the ducks and geese come home in the Spring – the deer grazing on the sweet, tender grass – and the bald eagles fly – and I will be here forever – as long as our beautiful planet continues to fly in the heavenly skies.”
