William N. Jones, an orthopedic surgeon and World War II veteran whose love for the outdoors kept him hiking, skiing and sailing through his later years, has died. He was 85.
Dr. Jones, who retired in 2001 after a 46-year practice, served at Westerly Hospital in Westerly R.I., Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London and Newington Children’s Hospital. He loved his work, and had a passion for helping people, making house calls even after his retirement.
He and his wife, Rosalind, before moving to their home on Chippechaug Trail, lived for 43 years at a house they restored in Old Mystic they named “Back-achers,” a play on words reflecting both his profession and his propensity for hard physical work, particularly lifting large rocks.
Born on Christmas Day
William Nicholas Jones was born on Christmas Day in 1919 in Hackensack, N.J., the son of Amy Butler Jones and William Rand Jones.
It was while attending the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Mass. that he developed two passions that would endure throughout his life: a love of nature and music. Though he enjoyed climbing in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and elsewhere in New England, he often returned to the trails of the Berkshires where he spent his schoolboy days.
Dr. Jones played the violin in school and was awarded the Headmaster’s Prize. Later, while attending Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1942, Dr. Jones performed in a double quartet and sang in the glee club.
Dr. Jones enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1940, and was called to active duty during his senior year in 1941, one week after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was with the First Marine Division when U.S. forces landed on Guadalcanal and one of the youngest officers to lead a troop of soldiers, most several years older, in the first heavy fighting against the Japanese.
After 56 months with the Marines, he left that branch of service and joined the Navy as a first lieutenant to become a naval aviator. The war ended before he earned his wings, so Dr. Jones resigned his commission and returned to medical school. He earned a medical degree from the University of Rochester in 1950, completed his internship at Rhode Island Hospital and his orthopedic residencies at Massachusetts General and Boston Children’s hospitals, and at West Haven Veterans Hospital, where he was chief resident.
Married in 1956
Dr. Jones married the former Rosalind Loutrel in South Orange, N.J. on January 7, 1956, after which the couple moved to Old Mystic. When he wasn’t mending bones, he was setting stones, and often worked outside under the moonlight. He enjoyed the challenges of moving huge pieces of granite and built steps, walls, and benches around the property. He would rig up elaborate systems of hoists, pulleys and crowbars, often enlisting the help of his daughters.
For pleasure, he would ski, skate, hike and sail, depending on the season. He climbed mountains with his wooden skis before ski lifts were popularized, played ice hockey whenever he could, and sailed competitively in his Ensign ‘Sabrina.’ Always eager to try a new sport, he took up windsurfing in his 70s.
“With Bill, everything was larger than life,” said Belton Copp of Old Lyme, a lifelong friend. Copp described Dr. Jones as an individual who played by his own rules but always did what he felt was right. Friends and family remember Dr. Jones as “wild Bill” for his daring resourcefulness and perseverance. He was a colorful character who was passionate about everything he did. “He was also an excellent orthopedist,” Copp said.
Copp recalled years ago when his daughter, then 10, fell off a pony and severely injured her arm, Dr. Jones persuaded one surgeon to avoid implanting a pin in the girls shoulder because he thought she would never regain full use of her arm. Instead, Jones bound the arm to her body with adhesive tape, and showed up every day after work to adjust the bandage. Copp said his daughter recovered completely and went on to become captain of her swim team.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by four daughters, Margarett Jones of Mystic, Rosalind Jones of Thetford Center, Vermont, Amy Hallberg of Mystic and Natalie Mazel of Providence. He also leaves six granddaughters and four grandsons. Other survivors include a sister, Amy McKinley of Town and Country, Mo., and a brother, Robert S. Jones of Stonington. Dr. Jones was predeceased by his eldest brother, Rand Jones, who died in 1970.
Dr. Jones was a member of the Calvary Episcopal Church of Stonington, the Boston Orthopedic club and the New England Orthopedic Society, and La Societe de la Chirurgie Orthopedique et Traumatisme (SICOT). A memorial service will be held on Saturday October 8 at 11:30 A.M. at Calvary Episcopal Church in Stonington.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center, P.O. Box 122 Mystic, CT, or to Hospice of Southeastern Connecticut P.O. Box 902 Uncasville, CT 06382.
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