Hal Milton Jones, born in Hollister, California on January 9, 1945, passed away on July 8, 2018 while on a European vacation with his wife Shirley, sons Jason and Eric, daughter-in-law Dena, and five grandchildren-Madison, Jace, Jacqueline, Jared, and Nicholas. During their trip, ten family members gathered close around him as they sat outside an Italian country manor, with sunflowers and rolling hills gracing the landscape, and listened to their adored husband/father/grandfather toast at family dinners to celebrate life well lived and loved ones dearly cherished.
Hal began his career in industrial engineering in Chico, California in 1967, a year after being married to his wife Shirley. The two attended California State University, Chico, together after first meeting in 1955 when Shirley’s father purchased a ranch from Hal’s father near the Napa Valley.
Hal worked in the material-handling industry in a rewarding career that extended over fifty years, designing layouts and selling food-processing equipment, becoming a mentor to many and a helpmate to all. He generously gave his time and full attention to family, friends, and associates alike, always with a jubilant spirit and a caring touch.
He and his wife also lived in Modesto, Ripon where they had five acres of olives, Stockton, and Lodi, finally settling in the foothills above the Shenandoah Valley wine country on twelve acres where they built a timber-frame home.
True to the photo of him here, Hal viewed life as one big Discovery Kingdom to explore and enjoy, and that he did.
Cancer took him too quickly and aggressively, but his beaming presence is forever felt and appreciated.
A family service will be held at Cherokee Memorial Park Cemetery in Lodi, California at a later date.
Hal is preceded in death by his parents, Marvin and Betty Jones; his brother Jere Jones; and his sisters, Nancy Davis and Suzi Maddalena.
A tree would be nice to plant in Hal’s memory, outdoor lover that he was.
