John Dewey Jones

July 22, 1936 - September 7, 2017

John Dewey Jones, loving husband, father, grandfather (Papa), and friend to so many, passed away at the age of 81 on September 7, 2017. John was known for his optimism, his work ethic, and his pride in his children and grandchildren.

John recently wrote, “As I advance into my eighties, I am reflecting on my life. I began to realize that work was one of the key factors that molded me.” John began his career as an entrepreneur, cutting grass for his neighbors as a boy in Greenville, South Carolina. As he got older, John worked in his father’s grocery store, where his favorite place to hang out was the candy counter. He reflected that he “loved to distribute items to customers, collect the money, and to do a lot of sample tasting.”

John attended his beloved Clemson University when it was still a military school. Following college, John spent two years on active duty in Korea as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, followed by three years in the U.S. Army reserves, attaining the rank of Captain.

In 1961, John went to work for Milliken as a textiles salesman. It was this job that took John from South Carolina to New York, and then on to San Francisco, where he met his wife of 50 years, Jo Anne. After Milliken, John spent the next 18 years of his career in the office furniture business, where he worked hard and made wonderful friends.

Just as he started his career, John also ended his career as an entrepreneur. He and Jo Anne purchased and ran Kay Chesterfield, the oldest and largest reupholstery business in the East Bay, from 1990 to 2012. John was 76 when he retired, and he loved every minute of work. He also loved making frequent lunch stops at restaurants around the Bay Area that specialize in southern cooking.

After retiring, John turned his work ethic to making the most of his free time, including traveling the world. He and Jo Anne always had at least two trips on the horizon. While they saw spectacular sights around the globe, some of John’s favorite trips were the “10-year trips” he and Jo Anne took with each of their five grandchildren as they turned ten years old.

The joy of John’s life was his family. He was blessed to have both of his daughters and their families live within two miles of his and Jo Anne’s home in Moraga, CA. John rarely missed a grandchild’s sporting event, birthday dinner, or musical concert. John was known for being sentimental, and even a poorly thrown basketball shot by one of his “grands” could bring him to tears.

John is survived by his wife Jo Anne, his daughters Lauren and Hilary, his son-in-law Matt Woolsey, his grandchildren Matty, Katie, Billy, Ben, and Avery, and his mother-in-law Ruth Harbour.

A service will be held to celebrate John’s life on Friday, September 22nd, 2017 at 1:30 pm at the Piedmont Community Church. A reception will immediately follow at Claremont Country Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made in John’s memory to Meals on Wheels. John volunteered for Meals on Wheels, and brought moments of joy (and probably a few trivial facts gleaned from his always handy almanac) to all those he came in contact with.