Theodore Michael “Ted” Jones, 73, of Fairfield Bay, Arkansas, passed away on December 26th, 2025, surrounded by his family. He was born on November 15th, 1952, in San Diego, California, to the late Robert E. Lee Jones and Martha Joan (Marovich) Jones.
Ted’s mother was a Yugoslav, an Old World Catholic; hence, he was a cradle Catholic. He attended parochial school and was proud to serve as an altar boy.
Ted was proud to claim a military background: “all Navy, going back to ’29, and before that, Army, going back to General Washington at Yorktown.” He himself served in the US Navy in Japan for four years. Following that, he returned to school, graduating Cal State Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering. He worked at Boeing for 40 years and retired only in recent years.
As a youth, Ted developed into an avid outdoorsman. He loved hunting in the woods for deer and elk. More than once, during school Christmas breaks, he disappeared, solo, to engage in trapping beaver and camping in blizzards! More than once, when he didn’t report home for 1-2 weeks, his dad secretly went to check up on him and make sure he was safe. As he grew older, his field of activity grew, and as many of his friends will attest, he was particularly fond of fishing, and most especially at Lake LaCroix in Ontario. He also enjoyed classical Western movies. In 1976, Ted met and married Yukie Iizuka in Japan. They had two beautiful daughters, Erika and Mari.
Ted was a man of God. Faith and Family were outstanding in his life. Following the Vatican II debacle, Ted clung to his Faith alone. When his first daughter survived a difficult birth he doubled down on living the traditional Catholic Faith. He insisted that his daughters learn their Faith and practice it. Erika will vouch that he pursued them relentlessly, always ending conversations with “Are you wearing your scapular? Are you praying before you go to bed? Are you praying your Rosary?” This concern extended to his siblings, friends, and many, many acquaintances as well. Ted was an avid student of history: family history, church history, and US history. He would give his daughter two-three hour lectures on church history. “He could go on for hours!”
Ted is survived by his wife and daughters, also by his older siblings: Robert (Joyce) of Sanger CA, Richard of Silver City, NM, Nancy Ulmer (Robert) of Santa Barbara, and younger siblings: Maribeth Jones of Eugene, OR & Kristy Cronin of Burns, OR. His nephew, Robert William Sorensen (Casa Robles, CA), was very dear to his heart. He was exceptionally fond of his three grandchildren, who during the last weeks gathered around his bed and prayed the Rosary daily. Ted was well prepared for death. In the final months, he was able to receive the Sacraments several times. His Catholic friends stayed in touch with him, and it is questionable who was more uplifted by these visits.
Ted will be sorely missed by family and friends. Please pray, “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.”
A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025, at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church, beginning at 10:00 am, with Father Timothy Geckle officiating. Interment will take place at the Historic Cemetery of Mountain View.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Mountain View Funeral Service.
