Obituary of Douglas Lee Jones

Douglas Lee Jones October 29, 1932—June 3, 2021

Douglas was born October 29, 1932 in Vancouver Washington to Orville and Grace Jones. Doug spent his early years in Waldport Oregon, where his family built and operated the “Yakone Beach Cottages”. At the beginning of World War II, the family moved to the Portland area where Doug attended Multnomah Elementary school and two years at Lincoln High School. In 1949, the family moved to Lebanon Oregon where Doug attended and graduated from Lebanon High School. During his time at LHS he was quarterback of the football team and played trumpet in the band. Doug was also interested in photography, focusing on still life and nature photography, as well as serving as high school events photographer. It was there he met his future wife Joyce Connet. Following graduation in 1951, he attended the University of Oregon, where he majored in Business Administration. On December 28, 1952, he married Joyce and together they relocated to Eugene. Doug worked for Jones Veneer and Plywood which was founded and owned by members of his father’s family. Doug was actively involved in the Eugene business and service communities. He was an active member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and was a Board Director for the Emerald Empire Rodeo. He was also a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Elks Club, and Hoo-Hoo International (an organization for wood products). Doug and Joyce raised a daughter Sheri, and three sons Jeff, Dan, and Matt. They purchased and moved to a small acreage southwest of Eugene, on which they raised horses, and over the years cared for a menagerie of domestic animals. The area had many miles of riding trails which were regularly traveled. He loved the outdoors; golfing, fishing, skiing, and horsepacking with friends and family into the wilderness. When Georgia Pacific purchased Jones Veneer and Plywood, Doug continued in the role of sales manager. When the company moved their sales office to Portland, he and Joyce purchased 7 acres in West Linn in 1986 and built their home on the property which Joyce fondly named “Quail Hill Farm”. They still owned two horses and there were eight miles of trails around the property on which to ride. Doug relished growing a large vegetable garden and was particularly proud of his robust blueberry bushes and compost-pile grown Halloween pumpkins. Doug loved having the grandchildren come out to play and ride the horses. The barn had a large workshop which he filled with tools. The shop was so disorganized that the family rarely dared to enter it. Nonetheless beautiful things came out of that shop: desks, bookcases, cabinetry, a sandbox for grandson Nafie, a wooden chest for grandson Adrian, and a playhouse for granddaughter Madeline. Doug and Joyce attended church in Lake Oswego at Unity World Healing Center, the precursor to The Unity Center in West Linn, where he was active and known as the “House Cabinet Maker”. Another of his joys with the Unity World Healing Center, was being part of a group that prepared meals and delivered them to the Transition Center, in Portland, a place for men transitioning off the streets. Doug retired from Georgia Pacific in 1997 and remained at “Quail Hill Farm” until 2013, when he and Joyce moved to Rose Villa, a retirement community in Milwaukie, Oregon. Doug developed Alzheimer’s Disease, and spent his final three years in the Madrona Grove Health Center on the Rose Villa campus.

Doug is lovingly remembered by Joyce his wife of 67 years, daughter Sheri Gorman (Ed), sons Jeff (Liz), Dan (Lynda) and Matt, brother Richard (Dick) Jones, grandsons Nafie and Adrian, and granddaughter Madeline, and step-grandsons, Tyler and Derek Chittenden.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 24th, 2021 at 11:00 am, at 20255 Willamette Drive, West Linn, OR. Please RSVP by the end of the day, July 21st to: rcpgorman1@gmail.com

Any donations are welcome and should be directed for Alzheimer’s Disease Research, at BrightFocus Foundation, brightfocus.org/adr