Richard J. Jones passed away on Sunday, 22 Dec 2019 aged 94 years at his home in Fort Morgan, Colorado where he had been living the past year. He was born 30 Jan 1925 at home in Gault*, Weld County, Colorado to Charles Earl Jones and Mary Olivia Frazier. He had four older sisters, Eva, Ida, Myrtle, and Fern, two older brothers, Lonnie and Alvin, and two younger brothers, Charles and Willie.

Richard grew up on a farm and ranch during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl years. His mom told him he was the fastest, most energetic, and best eater of all her children! He was able to walk or run to Crystal Heights country school [District 80 NW of Wiladel] that bordered their farm. He attended that school through eighth grade.

During those early years they were still farming with horses. He remembered his dad buying their first tractor and driving it carefully all the way from Akron until the last few miles when his dad must have relaxed too much and somehow got astraddle of a fence. The next day they fixed fence. Shortly after, it rained and they wanted to try out the tractor but got it stuck and had to use a team of workhorses to pull it out. They learned it had to be much drier for tractor farming.

He was a World War II Army veteran. He served in the Philippines in the infantry. His lieutenant would send him to scout out the enemy in the jungle. He was an expert rifleman. He did enjoy eating ripe bananas right off the tree and playing with monkeys while there.

After the war, he married Evelyn Cross in Longmont, Colorado on February 24, 1948 where his sister Eva lived. They bought a farm and ranch in the Rago-Elba community of Washington County where they raised mostly Hereford cattle, horses, grain crops like wheat, and hay for over 70 years. They had two children, Phillip Richard and Julie Mae.

For many years he raised, broke, and trained registered quarter horses and thoroughbreds. One year he had five quarter horses at Centennial Race Track in Littleton, Colorado and was on the top of the owner and trainer lists. It was quite an accomplishment given that he was up against owners and trainers that had so much bigger horse stables! "Breeze By" was Richard's best race horse and set many track records. She made the top ten running quarter horse mare list in the United States.

He was preceded in death by his parents, all his siblings, his wife, and his son. He is survived by his daughter, Julie Jones Johnson, son-in-law Donald Johnson, his three grandchildren, Lori Johnson Hardman, Shari Johnson Hofhiens, and Scott Johnson. He will be missed by his family, five great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A graveside funeral was held at the Cope Cemetery, Cope, Colorado on Friday, December 27, 2019 at 11 am with Bowin Funeral Home handling arrangements.

*Gault was a settlement 12 miles southwest of Hereford, Weld County near the Wyoming border. The town applied for a post office in 1890. The US Post Office Department chose the name Gault after James Wade Gault, a Weld County teacher, rancner, and homesteader. The post office closed in 1916 but the school remained open until 1918 when it became the Gerry Valley School. To get to Gault one would take a stagecoach from Grover, on the B&M Railway, the nearest railroad point. Gault is now officially termed a ghost town.