Jon Thomas Jones was born to proud parents Lloyd and Amy Jones in Sioux Falls, SD, on June 26, 1941; he died peacefully with family members by his side in Seattle, WA, on August 26, 2021.

Tom's hometown was Rowena, SD, population 50. He grew up raising pigs and chickens and was a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA). He also worked at his father's grain elevator and drove a Purina feed truck, making deliveries of everything from monkey chow to chicken feed to the outlying farms.

He attended elementary school at a one-room schoolhouse in Rowena and went on to graduate from Brandon High School in Brandon, SD. He was a star on the Brandon Lynx sports teams in football, baseball, and basketball. One sports reporter in basketball nicknamed him "Jumping-Jack Tommy Jones" which he fondly remembered for the rest of his life. He is in his high school's Hall of Fame to this day.

Tom graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD. Again making a name for himself as a sports star, he was a true BMOC (Big Man on Campus).

Tom left his hometown and enlisted in the United States Air Force as a fighter pilot from February 1965-December 1976. He proudly served three tours of duty in Vietnam. Captain Jones flew 345 wartime missions, earning a Silver Star and three Distinguished Flying Crosses. He was also honored to be selected for two assignments as an instructor pilot in first the T-38 and then the F-111. As with many Vietnam veterans of that era, he was shocked to be instructed not to wear his uniform when returning home so as to avoid harassment.

He was in the 559th, the 430th, the 428th, and the 442nd Tactical Fighter Squadrons and he is in the South Dakota Aeronautic Hall of Fame at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota.

In 1976, while assigned to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, he was selected for Major-and as he liked to say, he "turned it down and quit". He had some Air Force buddies who had gone into convention sales at the big hotels there and decided to try his hand at that. Over then next 20 years he held prestigious positions at Bally's, Caesars Palace, and the MGM Grand Hotel. He became the President of the International Hotel Sales and Marketing Association- Las Vegas Region, Chairman of the International SKAL Congress; and was a much sought-after guest speaker of the many organizations of which he came in contact. His wit and humor were priceless!

He would tell you that of all the exciting experiences he had while in Las Vegas, two of the tops were escorting Bob Hope down to speak at a convention and Mr. Hope asking to stop by Tom's the Convention Sales and Service Department to exchange war stories with the many Vietnam vets in that department. During the notorious 1984 Culinary Workers strike in Las Vegas, all the non-culinary workers were locked into the hotel and were required to pick up those jobs as well as their own. Being a huge classic movie fan, it was his distinct pleasure to serve Cary Grant dinner at the head table of the Variety Club International convention.

He moved back to South Dakota with his wife Debbie, and stepchildren Lisa and Austin, in 1996 to be near his ailing mother and to be with his daughters, Debbie and Julie. He owned a Big O Tires store for seven years and sold it to become the hotel manager of a 120-room hotel in Brookings, South Dakota, a much quieter life. He enjoyed visiting and reminiscing with his old friends and he especially enjoyed being with his South Dakota family again and making many new memories with them.

In 2016, he retired and moved to his wife Debbie's hometown of Mount Vernon, Washington, to be near her family. They purchased a home in the idyllic area of Big Lake surrounded by trees and mountains. Every morning, rain or shine, they had coffee on their deck, looked around themselves, and one or the other would say, "It's pretty out." And there they lived peacefully and happily until his dying day.

Tom was predeceased by his devoted mother and father, Lloyd and Amy Jones; his daughter, Debbie Soulek; his sister, Barb; and his infant son, Timmy.

He is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Debbie; his daughter, Julie Stofferahn (and husband Steve) of Dell Rapids, South Dakota; stepdaughter, Lisa Marie LeMond (and husband Walter Cuculic) of Scottsdale, Arizona; stepson, William Austin LeMond (and wife Paula Nazario) of Westminster, Colorado; many nieces and nephews, and special cousin Sharon Saddler of Buckeye, Arizona. He was also proud to have been known as "Grandpa Tom" to his 14 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.