On Tuesday, October 11th, Daniel (Dan) Lee Jones passed away in Abilene, Kansas. He was a beloved husband, father, grandpa, brother, uncle and friend. He was 73. Dan was born to Harry and Margaret Jones on October 24,1948 in Junction City, KS. He lived for many years in Enterprise until his family moved to Chapman when he was in middle school. His family were members of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Chapman. In 1966, he graduated from Dickinson County Community High School. He attended Kansas State Technical Institute in Salina and received an associate degree in Airframe & Powerplant as well as Computer Science. He married Christine (Chris) Schlesener on July 29, 1974. Together, Dan and Chris moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma and worked for Applied Automation which was later acquired by ABB. He worked as a computer systems analyst for 37 years until he retired in 2011. He was proud of the work he did and he valued the relationships and friendships he formed along the way. His main goal was to make everyone else's job easier.
In 2016, Dan & Chris moved full time to their lake home on Grand Lake in Jay, Oklahoma. Dan enjoyed fixing up this home for his family and friends and always had a to-do list with many projects. He was a man with many hidden talents from working on cars, to electrical and plumbing. There was never a task that he wouldn’t try. Dan also loved fishing, hunting, and sightseeing at Grand Lake but his true love was spending time with his daughters and granddaughters. There was never a play, performance, or athletic competition that he missed.
When his daughters were growing up, he could be found volunteering his time coaching many youth sports teams in the Bartlesville area including Washington County and Blazer ASA Softball. He also coached many YMCA and AAU Basketball teams. He was passionate about teaching everyone to play the game the correct way and believed that so many life lessons could be learned by playing sports. He loved his alma mater, The Chapman Irish, and would be seen and heard at many sporting events loudly cheering them on.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law Mike Dolton. He is survived by his wife Chris of 48 years; his daughters, Dr. Stacy Jones of Salina, KS and Sara (Kyle) Cook and granddaughters Callie and Madison Cook of Chapman, KS. He is also survived by his sisters, Diane Dolton of Salina, KS and Kathy Riffel of Topeka, KS as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Visitation will be held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Chapman, KS from 3-5 p.m. on Sunday, October 16. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, October 17 at 10 a.m. at St. Michael’s followed by burial at St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Chapman.
Dan always stressed the importance of giving back to others in the community. The family suggests in lieu of flowers, to please consider making a donation to one of the following memorials in Dan’s honor: Irish Foundation, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, or Village Manor Nursing Home in care of Londeen-Overlease Funeral Chapel, PO Box 411, Chapman, KS 67431. Please make checks payable to the organization of your choice.