William “Bill” Marshall Jones, a long-time resident of New Bedford, Massachusetts passed away peacefully on June 13th with his loved ones by his side. He was born in 1949, to Thomas and Geneva Jones in Cadiz, Kentucky.
On a hill near his home at 16, he decided farming was not for him and enlisted in the United States Navy the following year. He proudly served as a hospital corpsman in the Mediterranean during the Vietnam War on the USS Yosemite. While stationed in Newport, Rhode Island he met the love of his life, Carole Ann Mello of New Bedford, and they spent the next 53 years together.
Bill is survived by his wife Carole, his daughter Jennifer Jones McGrath, her husband William McGrath, and their two children Brenna and Liam of West Harford, Connecticut. His daughter Erynn Jones-Guimont and her husband Shawn Guimont of New Bedford. As well as his sister Anne Jones Riddle, of Cedar Hill, Tennessee, brother Robert Jones of Dallas, Texas, and brother Bruce Jones of Hopkinsville, Kentucky. And many, many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews.
Bill had many careers and made his mark. Whether training correction officers in combat or CPR at the Bristol County House of Correction or installing glass for the new Gillette Stadium or taking care of to the Palmer Island Lighthouse in New Bedford, Bill was a jack of all trades. He retired as a machinist from Titleist in 2013. Bill enjoyed spending time with his family and friends playing cards and various board and outdoor lawn games. He loved his westerns, especially the Duke, and loved watching Bob Ross paint. He always made everyone he met feel welcome and loved. He definitely had an arsenal of dad and very inappropriate jokes on hand to help lighten any situation. He was loved and will be wholeheartedly missed. The lessons and love he gave the world will be remembered in the people he touched.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 20 at the First Unitarian Church in New Bedford on 71 8th St., New Bedford, MA 02740.
Memorials or donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association.
Funeral arrangements entrusted to Perry Funeral Home, 111 Dartmouth Street, New Bedford MA.
Obituary lovingly provided by Bill’s Family