Living in the middle of the pacific ocean has it's good points and bad points. Today is hard for me as my Uncle Dale passed away and today is his memorial. I so wanted to be there for the family, and to have a chance to honor him. But was unable to leave this island due to responsibilities. My Uncle was a worker and deep in my heart I know he would of wanted me to take care of my responsibilities, and yet my heart aches, wanting to be with the family. Here is an article that was written about my Uncle Dale
"Dale Thomas Jones was gruff but generous and centered his life around the goings-on of Orting, where he served in city government for more than two decades.
The former mayor died Oct. 7 of congestive heart failure. He was 71.
“Dale was a character. He loved his city,” said Mayor Cheryl Temple, who had campaigned against him several times since 1988. “He still called me every other week just to see how things were going.”
Jones was a fixture in Orting.
He was born there Jan. 1, 1940 – the first baby born in Pierce County that year. He attended Orting High School and first asked the woman who would become his wife on a date while she picked strawberries in a field. He served on several city commissions and operated a trucking business for 20 years or so. He raised three daughters in the city.
Jones may have been a longtime city councilman, but he was not a typical politician. He accessorized with a stogie and large belt buckles. He spoke his mind, even if it was crude and even if it got him in trouble.
“He was colorful. What he said wasn’t always nice, but he said what he wanted and he got his point across,” Temple said.
While he may have had rough edges, residents remember him as a champion for Orting.
Jones used his equipment to fill in holes at the sporting fields, hang holiday garlands and event banners and expedite community and civic construction projects.
“My respect for Dale went far beyond his public service as an elected city official. It was everything he did behind the scenes that went unseen, without thanks and recognition, all for the love of his hometown,” resident Rhonda Madison wrote on her blog “From Orting, With Love.”
Jones owned and operated Dale Jones Trucking for the better part of two decades, using 28 semi-trailers to haul building materials across four states. When he let the business go eight years ago, he bought an RV and storage business.
He didn’t have time for hobbies and never learned how to relax. To unwind, he’d light a cigar, pop open a beer and dine on clam chowder or hamburgers with the boys.
“Dale was a very hard-working person. He was raised to work and that was it,” said Madeline Jones, his wife of 51 years. “It wasn’t even fun for him to go on vacation.”
She admits he could be gruff and that she wanted to throttle him plenty of times. But she knows he was a good man, a strong man, a loved man.
“I feel so blessed,” Madeline Jones said.
The city is flying its flags at half-staff in Jones’ honor. Funds are being collected to plant a tree in his honor near the Orting Depot. And the reader board at the city limits reads, “Dale Jones, we will miss you.”
1 comment:
Oh Paula, you have my deepest sympathies.... and your family as well. I wish I could have known him. Gaze deeply into an orchid today... it's your glimpse...
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