Darrell G. Jones

Loving Husband, Father, Papa, Teacher, and Treasured by All

Darrell G. Jones of Castle Pines passed away on November 13, 2024. He had been ill for several months.

Darrell G Jones was born to Lloyd E. Jones and Kathryn B. Jones, née Lavell, on March 25, 1927 in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He was raised in Mason City, Iowa where attended Holy Family High School. There, he played all sports and was president of his class three times.

After graduation, Darrell joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during WWII. Upon return to the US, he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Northern Iowa before receiving his Ph.D. from Michigan State. He took post-doctoral work at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan. His education, love of teaching, and experience led him to Strawberry Point, Iowa, where he served as principal, teacher and coach. His beloved wife Jo was a kindergarten teacher. Darrell later taught at Kansas State Teachers College, the University of Northern Iowa and Michigan State Univeristy.

They had three children: Scott Jones of Evansville, IN; Karen Jones and Lee Ann (Matt) Smith of Littleton, CO. Their four wonderful grandchildren are Kaitlyn (Clive) Kalamula, Allison Bohus, Jake (Katie) and Alec Smith. Beloved grandson Ryan Bohus passed away at the age twenty-two in 2015. Darrell and Jo moved to Colorado after his retirement following thirty-six years as professor, department head, and dean of the College of Business at Western Michigan in 1997 to be close to family. They chose Gleneagles Village after owning a downtown condominium while still living in Michigan and after an exhaustive search for a permanent and final home.

Moving to Colorado was one of the wisest and most significant decisions they had made and was the constant refrain of both Darrell and wife Joan. They had the pleasure and joy of second-phase lives as they joined the family circles of their daughters Karen and Lee Ann and gained the love and genuine need that comes with the identifiers “Nana and Papa”.

At Western Michigan University Darrell showed his commitment to his school and students by increasing student internships, faculty externships, and through his selfless service. He joined, and led, dozens of committees at the school and in the state of Michigan dedicated to improving the lives of others. While raising funds for Western he was given the nickname the “Travelin’ Tambourine Man” due to his willingness to put on a show to get the funds the school required.

Darrell was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd and Kathryn, and his dear wife Jo.

Darrell enjoyed many hobbies, but he was fondest of fishing and flying his own plane for both business and pleasure. Many friends and family members enjoyed Michigan sightseeing and color tours from the windows of his Cessna. He was a dedicated runner until the age of sixty-

five when he broke his neck, forcing him to become a daily walker. The sidewalk from his house to his mailbox down the street saw more use than any other path in the neighborhood.

Darrell was a natural-born charmer, a gifted storyteller, and the best (grand)father anyone could hope to have.