John David Jones

John David Jones was born in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales, on June 26, 1923. Initially those present at his birth thought John was stillborn and placed him in a corner while attending to his mother. However, John soon began making a ruckus to let them know that he planned on sticking around. The family home in the village of Tanygrisiau was the standard housing provided to a slate miner's family, complete with an outhouse in the backyard. John's childhood home still exists as an exhibit in the Welsh Slate Museum in Llanberis. John, along with his mother, Katherine, and sister, Beryl, came to the U.S. at the age of 5 to be with his father, John Griffith, who had left Wales to find work. John's dad, who found work in the Detroit Ford power plant, died three years later on Aug. 5, 1931, leaving Katherine alone with the two children. With the help of Detroit's tightknit Welsh community and her hard work in an automotive factory, she succeeded in raising two fine individuals. After completing high school when the U.S. entered World War II, John enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the Signal Corps in 1943. He participated in military operations in Tunisia, Italy, and France until his discharge in October 1945. After the war, he attended Wayne State University for two years and then accepted a job with AT&T. Most importantly, during the job interview process, he met his future wife, Ruth, whom he married on Sept. 25, 1948. John and Ruth decided that they wanted to move from Detroit to San Francisco, but had the good sense to stop in Seattle where a dinner at Canlis and a job referral for John from an Army buddy sealed the deal. After working in Seattle for several years, John transferred to manage Pacific Northwest Bell's Bellevue office. Subsequently, he and Ruth bought a house in Kirkland in the Bridlewood Circle neighborhood that they grew to deeply love. While working in Bellevue, John served as president of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, Bellevue Rotary and the Eastside YMCA, and as North King County's United Way chair. In 1966, the Bellevue Jaycees named him Bellevue Citizen of the Year. John worked for Pacific Northwest Bell until 1983. Inspired by serving as the volunteer campaign manager for a friend's successful run for the State House, John started a second career in politics. In 1970, he was elected to the Washington State House of Representatives, where he served until he was appointed to the State Senate three years later. He served in the Senate until 1983, and rose to leadership positions as the Republican Caucus Whip (1977-80) and then Caucus Chairman (1980-83). In 1983, John left the Senate to join the State Board of Tax Appeals. He served on the board for three years, the last two as chair. In 1986, he was appointed to the King County Board of Equalization on which he served until 2002, including several years as board chair. John spent the last 10 years of his life in Fayetteville, Ark., where he and Ruth moved to be near to his son, Brad, and his family. He was a devoted father, grandfather and beloved community member. He was preceded in death by his father, John; mother, Katherine; sister, Beryl; and grandchild, Greg. John is survived by his wife, Ruth; sons, David (Vicki) and Brad (Michelle); and grandchildren, Spencer, Sam, Johnny and Ashley. John was proud of his Welsh heritage. He believed in public service and was a master at the seemingly lost art of working across the political aisle. He couldn't walk for more than a minute in Bellevue without running into someone he knew, delighted to stop for a chat. A celebration of John's life will be held in Seattle at a later date. Arrangements are with Heritage Funeral Home.