Colonel William C. Jones U.S. Army, Retired Colonel Jones, U.S. Army, Retired, passed on suddenly at his home on June 9, 2000. He was born in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 1, 1922, the son of Sarah Gross and Harvey Warden Jones. Bill's mother died when he was six, leaving his father and older sister, Mary Elizabeth, to raise him until his father's death ten years later. Bill attended Carnegie Institute of Technology for one year, worked in the local steel mill, and in 1944 was drafted into the Army during World War II, serving in Germany. He attended Officer Candidate School in 1947 at Fort Benning, Georgia and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Armor. He was married to Tina Kinkade of Louisville, Kentucky, on March 8, 1949, whom he met while stationed at Fort Knox. Military service took them to Germany, Fort Knox, Washington D.C., Panama, Fort Leavenworth (Kansas), Fort Hood (Texas), Central Michigan University, South Korea, Fort Belvoir (Virginia), Fort Knox, Vietnam, and Fort Lewis. In 1957, while assigned to the Pentagon, he was graduated from the University of Maryland. After more than 30 years of distinguished service, having received numerous awards and decorations, Tina and Bill retired at Fort Lewis in 1975. He frequently expressed his gratitude for the opportunity of military service in his life. After retirement, they lived in Lakewood and later, Steilacoom, He was the Steilacoom Chamber of Commerce Representative to the Military Affairs Committee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Advisory Council to the PatriotLanding Military Retirement Community Development Project (CAREAGE). He was also a member of the Friends of the Fort Lewis Military Museum and volunteered in the Cannon Shop (Gift Shop); a member of the Tacoma Chapter of The Military Order of the World Wars; a Mason; a member of the Fort Lewis Golf Course and a member of the Fort Lewis Chapter of the Association of the United States Army. He also served as the Chairman of the Steilacoom Fireworks Committee for several years. Colonel Jones was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution. Among his ancestry was his great-great-grandfather, Abraham Gross, who served in the American Revolution. Tina and Bill were married 41 years until her passing in 1990. Their youngest son, Robert Michael (Bob), predeceased them in 1986. Family members include: Sylvia and George B. Miller (Battleground); Kathleen and Joseph W. Stilwell (Fairfax, Virginia); Molly and William C. Jones, Jr. (Edmonds); grandchildren; sisters- and brothers-in-law; nieces; and nephews. Friends made through the years were a special part of his life. A Service will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2000, at 10:30 AM at Mountain View Funeral Home and Memorial Park. Remembrances may be made to the Fort Lewis Military Museum or Town of Steilacoom's Annual Fireworks Treasury. Pub Date: 6/18/2000 Tacoma News Tribune