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William 'Steve' Jones
WILLIAM "STEVE" JONES
Marion
William Stephen "Steve" Jones (WA6GFD), 62, of Marion, died Friday, May 1, 2015, at his home. The family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 6, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Marion. Funeral service: 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at the funeral home in Marion by Pastor John Albertson. Private family graveside services will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, with military honors at a later date.
Survivors include his wife of 38 years, Patricia; daughter, Julie Marie (Scott) Schanberger of San Antonio, Texas; son, Brett Stephen Jones of San Francisco, Calif.; brother, James (Barb) Jones of Mesa, Ariz.; sister, Patricia (Ken) Louwers of Hesperia, Calif.; and many close friends, including Richard and Theresa Larson of Hiawatha and Doug Louvar of Toddville.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Steve was born June 4, 1952, in Hamilton City, Calif., the son of Berry and Mary Jaqueline (Stephens) Jones. He graduated from Apple Valley High School in Hesperia, Calif. Steve served as chief master sergeant with the United States Air Force from 1971 to 2001, retiring after 30 years. He served lengthy tours in Misawa AFB, Japan; Kelly AFB, San Antonio, Texas; and Shemya AFB, Alaska. He married Patricia Nearman on Dec. 8, 1976, at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.
Following his military service, Steve worked as a senior electronics technician for Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids for 13 years. He was president of the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) and the former president of South Texas Amateur Radio Society of San Antonio, Texas (STARS). Steve was the regional director of the Military Affiliate Radio Systems (MARS), Linn County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and was the district emergency coordinator for Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES District 6).
Steve was a kind hearted and beautiful soul. He was an invaluable leader and a generous member of every team he was part of. Using his talents as a radio operator, he safe-watched not only his family, but his community as well. His positive attitude and sense of humor will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in Steve's memory.
Please share a memory of Steve at www.murdoch
funeralhome.com under obituaries.
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