William L. Jones' Obituary
William L. Jones, 96, went home to his heavenly father surrounded by his family and joined his beloved wife Helen on June 28th, 2018. William (Bill) was born January 7th, 1922 in Champion Ohio to Edward and Katherine (Payne) Jones.
Bill was born on the family farm in Champion Township just north of Warren, OH. Part of the original farm was passed down to Bill who continued to maintain the property well into his 90’s and his son Greg continues to maintain the property to this day.
Bill went to Fenn College (Now Cleveland State University) to become a mechanical engineer. He accepted a position at NACA (The predecessor to NASA), following his graduation. He worked his entire career at NASA Glenn Research Center as a mechanical engineer on many projects that involved jet and rocket engines. Yes, he really was a “rocket scientist”. Bill retired after 35 years at NASA in 1980, then returned on a consulting basis for several years.
Bill was a passionate golfer winning numerous championships in the NASA golf league and continued to play well into his 90’s. He had several “hole-in-ones” that he was particularly proud of. Bill also enjoyed bowling, hunting and fishing, especially near his childhood home near the Grand River in an area called “No man’s land”. He took his family on several multi-week camping trips to the western US including Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Yellowstone National Parks, Badlands and the Canadian Rockies.
Bill was the ultimate fix it man and we can’t recall ever having anyone come to repair anything in our house, as he could fix almost anything. He passed along his knowledge to his children who are very handy in their own right. Greg and Doug spent many evenings in the garage with Bill working on cars, mostly Buicks.
Bill and Helen were long time members of Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church in Middleburg Heights where he was a trustee and worked on many committees related to maintaining and growing the church.
He was preceded in death by his devoted wife Helen, his brother Donald and his sisters Mildred and Elnora. Survivors include his sons Greg (Julie) and Doug (Carol) and his daughter Kathy Novak (Alan). He was blessed with 4 grandchildren, Brittany (Metzler), Brooke (Swallen), Eric and Kelly Novak.
The family wishes to extend our extreme gratitude to all who helped Bill out in the last couple of years both at his home and at Southwest Commons Assisted Living in Strongsville.
A private family graveside service will be held at the Champion Center Cemetery. A celebration of life service is planned for Friday, July 27th, 11:00 at Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church, located at 13200 East Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights, Ohio 44130. Visitation with family 10:00 – 11:00, service at 11:00. The service will be followed by a luncheon.
The family requests memorial contributions made to Pleasant Hills United Methodist Church.
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