Charles Arthur Jones

Charles Arthur ‘Bud’ Jones came to his life journey’s end on March 7, 2013.  He passed in the presence of his large and loving family at his home on Angle Lake.  He leaves his loving wife, Billie Day Jones; his three children, Nancy (Glenn), Andy (Lois), and Kacey (Bruce); eleven grandchildren, two great-grandsons, numerous nieces and nephews, and his devoted sister Margaret Swanson.

A Seattle native, he was the son of Mamie and Charles F. Jones, and grew up in the South Park neighborhood with his three brothers, Jim, Bill, and Dan, and his two sisters, Patsy and Margaret.
As a young boy Bud served as an altar boy at Our Lady of Lourdes Church.  During the hard times of the Great Depression, he and his brothers helped the family by selling newspapers in front of the Sears Roebuck Store.  During high school he played on the Cleveland High School football team and graduated in 1940.  After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Bud, along with all his brothers, enlisted in the military, each of them joining a different branch of the service.  His choice was the U.S. Marines, where after a harrowing winter voyage from Seattle to Dutch Harbor, he opted to join the Marine infantry.

Bud was a courageous and decorated war hero, fighting bravely with the 4^th Marine Division in the South Pacific, including the historic battle at Iwo Jima.  He earned a Purple Heart, as well as a Bronze Star for valor.

Returning home, he met and married the beautiful Okanogan girl, Billie Day, who had just returned from serving with the Red Cross in Washington, D.C.  However, a settled family life at their Angle Lake bungalow was cut short in 1951 by a call to serve with the 1^st Marine Division in Korea on their march to the Chosin Reservoir.   He was presented another Purple Heart for wounds received in battle, finally returning home to family and civilian life in 1952.

He began a long and successful career in the meat business and earned the respect of small meat market owners, restaurateurs, and large grocery operators alike.  Just before retirement in 1989, Bud worked as an independent meat broker in offices near Pioneer Square.  Bud’s home and community life were remarkable too, as he and Billie raised their three children, Nancy, Andy, and Kacey.  His generous spirit was legendary, and he is fondly remembered by decades of kids and neighbors around Angle Lake, especially for helping establish the memorable traditions of the Angle Lake Shore Club, including the races, flares  and fireworks on the Fourth of July.  We can also thank Bud for being Santa for many years at the Angle Lake fire station and for his role in initiating and supporting the annual fishing derby.

Bud and Billie enjoyed sixty-six years of marriage, and loved to sail, camp, and ski with their family.  In their later years, they enjoyed travelling in Europe, Russia, and the Middle East.  He was an active member of the Fourth Marine Division Association and the ‘Chosin Few’.

He will forever serve as inspiration to his children and grandchildren as they raise their own families.  Bud embraced the multitude of life’s joys and endured its trials with courage and grace.

The family would like to express heartfelt thanks for the excellent care he received from the Rainier team at the Veterans Administration, the teams of Evergreen Hospice, Advance Home Health Hospice,  and special home caregiver and nurse Sheree Ofsthun.

The family of Bud and Billie Jones invite friends and family to three memorial events on Friday, March 22.  There will be a service and reception at St Philomena Church, Des Moines at 9:00am, followed by Military Honors at Mt Tahoma National Cemetery at 1:30pm.  There will be an open-house Celebration of Life gathering at Angle Lake from 3:00pm – 7:00pm.

Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Foundation.

‘Good night Sarge… have a great trip’