Wilford John Jones

Wilford John Jones, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, peacefully passed away on May 27, 2020 at his home, surrounded by family, at the age of 87.

He was known for devotion to his family, dedicated service as a member of his church, showing kindness and respect that lifted others, and for being an enthusiastic aerospace engineer at Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin) where he was well respected by his colleagues.

Wilford was born February 24, 1933 in Newton, Utah to John Clive and LaRue Jenkins Jones. He was the first of four children, three sons and one daughter, and would share fond memories of his parents, siblings, and family life. The family resided in Newton while Wilford's father worked for the Union Pacific Railroad; his father's work on buildings and bridges at sites far from home took away from family time. Wilford's mother taught piano, and also worked in Logan at the Baugh Motel and Woolworth's. As a child of the Great Depression, Wilford appreciated the necessities of life, one of his most memorable and favorite childhood Christmas gifts being a warm winter coat.

Wilford was a gifted pianist who took piano lessons beginning at an early age (including from Professor Irving Wasserman of Utah State University); he performed at recitals, school assemblies, graduations, and other events in Cache Valley.

Wilford graduated from Utah State University (USU) with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and completed the ROTC program of the United States Air Force (the Air Force). In 1951, before starting at the university, he met Barbara Joan Andersen, who was born in Petersboro and was then residing in Logan. After dating Barbara for two years, Wilford served a full-time proselyting mission in the California Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church). Wilford's missionary service provided a foundation of faith, testimony, service, and gospel living that endured for his entire life. On September 14, 1956, Wilford and Barbara were married in the Church's Salt Lake Temple by President ElRay Christiansen. Wilford and Barbara have three sons and one daughter.

During 1958, upon graduating from USU, Wilford joined Boeing at its Renton, Washington site, where he did aircraft design work for the Boeing 707 prior to serving in the Air Force. From December 1958 through April 1963 Wilford and Barbara were assigned to Air Force bases in: San Antonio, Texas; Malden, Missouri; Laredo, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; and, Riverside, California. As a B-47 combat crew copilot in the Strategic Air Command, Wilford's missions included flights over the Pacific Ocean and Asia, and significant time at the Air Force's base in Guam. Due to Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, he was accustomed to being away from his family while on alert (during which for one to two weeks pilots would be in a bunker on base), including during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.

Wilford left the Air Force in 1963 for a career as an aerospace engineer, starting at Martin Marietta in Denver, Colorado in 1964, then joining Honeywell in Minneapolis, Minnesota to work on Apollo Command Module systems. Wilford and Barbara returned to Denver in 1965 where he worked for Martin until his retirement in 1993. He held positions as staff engineer, group engineer, and electronics section head, contributing to Martin's Titan II, Titan III, and Titan IV missile programs, as well as Martin's initiative for vehicles derived from the Space Shuttle. At times Wilford's work required significant time away from home due to frequent business travel to places such as Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base, and NASA's Michoud facility near New Orleans; since most of his work was classified, he was not always able to share his career challenges and successes with his family. When needed to support his family, such as when his children were starting college and serving missions for the Church, Wilford was willing to supplement his income with work outside of his chosen career, including by obtaining a realtor's license, but later felt inspired to put all his effort into his work at Martin Marietta, after which his career success grew.

Wilford consistently expressed gratitude for his family. He and Barbara loved and cared for each other and their children, raising their children in love and righteousness, providing for their physical, educational, and spiritual needs, and teaching them to love and serve one another and live gospel principles. He sacrificed to ensure his children had the opportunity to develop musical talents and pursue the sports that appealed to each, supporting their achievements with zeal. He delighted in making treasured family memories of Christmas mornings and vacations to Disneyland and Universal Studios, Church history sites in Missouri and Illinois, Snowmass at Aspen, and a surprise trip to Orlando and Cape Canaveral that his sons would never forget. Wilford ensured that family vacations included frequent opportunities to visit and strengthen relationships with relatives in Utah, in particular his parents and siblings, and led efforts to organize family reunions. Day to day family life included homework and chores, but also outings to movies or a night at home watching favorite television programs such as Columbo or sporting events such as Monday Night Football, in particular games featuring the Denver Broncos.

Wilford served diligently in a variety of callings in stakes and wards of the Church in Colorado, including substantial time as a counselor in bishoprics and as a member of stake high councils. He played a significant role in the construction of the Church's chapel on Ridge Road and stake center on Webster Street, both in Littleton. Shortly after Wilford retired in 1993, he and Barbara were called to serve in the Denver Temple of the Church. They served faithfully for over fifteen years during which they trained hundreds of other temple workers. Wilford was set apart as a sealer by President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and for many years officiated in sealing ordinances in the Denver Temple. Throughout his time in Littleton Wilford was a faithful home teacher and ministering brother; he made a special effort to reach out to each individual.

In his retirement Wilford relished opportunities to visit with his adult children, and gratefully responded to every opportunity to spend time with his treasured grandchildren. He and Barbara made many trips to Houston, Texas; Sandy, Utah; and, Carmel, California to spend holidays with the Scott and Jennifer Lund family, to support their grandchildren in their progress in the Church, school graduations, and sports competitions. Jennifer consistently brought his grandchildren on vacations to Wilford's Littleton home, where Wilford would spoil his grandchildren with daily meals at favorite restaurants, compete with them in miniature golf, and show them movies from his vast archives of films he recorded on VHS cassettes.

Wilford greatly enjoyed life. He had tremendous will power that allowed him to persevere when challenges arose. He had a variety of interests including movies, stereos and records, aviation, and – – like his father, brothers, and oldest son – – a passion for driving cars exceptionally fast, in particular his all-time favorite, a copper 1965 Buick Riviera Gran Sport (the friends of his youth were not surprised when he became a jet pilot). He enjoyed the triple thick malts of Snelgrove's, fish served with slices of fresh lemon on the side, Roquefort blue cheese dressing, and the chile rellenos served at Littleton's Mission Trujillo restaurant. He had a unique, halting laugh that he passed on to two of his sons. He appreciated cultural events but would laugh uproariously at slapstick humor or the thrill of riding roller coasters. He customarily wore a smile that could beam. He did not draw attention to himself and could share self-deprecating stories. Some with whom Wilford served in the Church independently identified one of Wilford's virtues: he is without guile. On his passing, someone who knew him for decades, and another person who knew him for only a few months, made another observation about him – – he thinks of others before thinking of himself.

Wilford was preceded in death by his parents, and by his brother William Bruce Jones (Verleen). He is survived by: his wife Barbara; his children Scott Wilford Jones (Peggy Smith), Gregory Stuart Jones, Douglas John Jones (Dana), and Jennifer Diane Lund (Scott); his grandchildren Victoria Morgan Pearson (Drew), Marcus Lund (Heather), Christian Lund, William Lund, and Benjamin Lund; his siblings Marlene Wiser (John) and David Jones (Flo); and his sister-in-law Verleen Jones.

Wilford's family expresses profound gratitude to the following for their care and compassion: friends in Littleton's Ridgewood neighborhood and Lincoln Meadows Senior Living (Lincoln Meadows); members of the Church's Littleton Ward; and the health care professionals at Kaiser Permanente, Lincoln Meadows, and Denver Hospice.

Due to COVID-19, immediate services were limited to a graveside service that was held on June 4 in the Newton Cemetery to which only a small number of family members were invited. A memorial service will be held at a later date.