Richard P. Jones

Richard P. Jones

Richard P. Jones, age 92, of Spencer, passed away Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, at Avera St. Anthony's Hospital in O'Neill.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013, from 5-7 p.m. at the Brockhaus Funeral Home in Spencer.

Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Spencer with Pastor Glen Stahlecker officiating. Music will be provided by organist, Cherry Hammon, soloist, Jackie Hoffman and congregational singing.

Honorary pallbearers will be Don Linquist, Jr., Terri Barger, Brenda Curry and Brad Tuch.

Burial will be in the Union Cemetery in Spencer.

Brockhaus Funeral Home in Spencer is in charge of arrangements.

Richard Perry Jones, son of Robert P. and Martha (Opocensky) Jones, was born Oct. 29, 1920, at Niobrara. He spent a portion of his early childhood in Burke, SD, then moved with his family to Spencer, a community that Richard called home the rest of his life.

He attended and graduated from Spencer High School then attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Richard then attended and graduated from the School of Mortuary Science in San Francisco, CA. He was the third generation in his family to be a mortician, dating back to the late 1890s and early 1900s with Opocensky and Dose families of Niobrara. Upon receiving his degree in mortuary science, Richard returned to Spencer where he operated Jones Funeral Home.

On June 10, 1946, Richard was married to Mary Minarik in Spencer. The couple were blessed with two daughters, Patricia and Charlotte.

Besides operating the funeral home in Spencer, Richard and his family also owned funeral homes in Butte, Lynch and Niobrara. In 1962 he purchased the funeral home in Verdigre after E.E. "Sam" Sandoz retired. In addition to operating the funeral homes, he also provided ambulance service in each community he served.

In 1965 he sold the funeral chapels in Niobrara and Verdigre to the Hengstler family of Creighton. In 1975, after much thought, Richard decided to retire from being a mortician and sold his remaining funeral homes to Howser Mortuary of Norfolk.

Richard and Mary enjoyed traveling extensively after retiring and continued to do so until health would no longer permit it. The couple was proud to say that they had traveled to every state in the U.S., every province in Canada and been through a good portion of Mexico.

Although mostly retired, when not traveling, Richard worked for Spencer Public Schools during the school year from 1978 until 1983. In 1983 he completely retired, except for fishing and traveling.

Richard and Mary moved to the Highland House of Spencer in 2004, and in later years, became residents of the Butte Health Care Center in Butte.

He was a very civic-minded person and was a member of the Nebraska and National Funeral Directors Association, Masonic Lodge, Lions Club and the Spencer Commercial Club. He had served on several boards in various capacities, including school board, fair board, church council, Union Cemetery and town boards, often as chairman. Richard was a member of Our Saviours Lutheran Church in Spencer.

Richard is survived by his wife, Mary Jones of Butte; two daughters, Patricia Garner of Omaha and Charlotte and husband, Donald Linquist of Page; four grandchildren, Don Linquist and wife, Rachel of Page, Terri and husband, Dave Barger of Atkinson, Brenda Curry of North Richland Hills, Texas and Brad Tuch and wife,  Joni of Lincoln; three great-grandchildren, Rebecca and Emmy Barger of Atkinson and Katie Curry of North Richland Hills, Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert P. and Martha Jones; an older brother (in infancy), Donald Jones and a sister, Ileen Petersen.