David Jones had a heart of gold and a smile that could light up the room. People keep saying this as they learned of his passing, nine months to the day after being diagnosed with a rare, aggressive stage IV duodenal cancer. David remained upbeat during his intense and difficult treatments, fighting to the end to beat the disease. Rest and caring for himself were his top priority, yet he regretted not having the ability to visit with more friends during that time. In the end, he was at peace, free of pain, and surrounded by his family as he took his final breath on St. David’s Day, March 1st, the day our saint left this earthly plane. He was 76 years old.

David was born in Ogden, Utah, to Prentiss and Mattie (Moore) Jones. He was the oldest of three boys who came from humble beginnings, sharing a double bed each night with his brothers Cleveland and Clyde. During trips to Louisiana to visit his grandparents he learned about the plight of others like him – he had to use different drinking fountains, bathrooms and restaurants because of the color of his skin. Because of these early experiences, David knew he wanted to help people and make the world a better place.

At age 18, David joined the Army and served for six years (1960-66), first in Taiwan where he worked in communications, and then in Arizona where he worked on early drone technology. Using the G.I. Bill after the Army, David followed his desire to help people and studied to be a nurse. He became a certified registered nurse anesthetist, working first at Kaiser Hospital in Sacramento, CA, and then moved to Humboldt County in 1974 to work for General Hospital in Eureka. This profession gave David the joy of serving and connecting with many wonderful people in the community both as colleagues and patients.

During his career, David was the master of mixing loving kindness with the science of medicine. He was an exceptional caregiver who knew his patients’ needs and wanted to nourish their souls. For the 40+ years David lived in Humboldt County, he would often bump into former patients who would share with him their gratitude for his skills and care.

Between medical cases and “beeps” on his pager, David became a licensed pilot and bought his own airplane. He also completed The est Standard Training where he met many lifelong friends, including his loving wife Denise. They married in 1987 and made their family complete, raising David’s two sons, Carl and David Jr., as well as Denise’s son Josh Keppel.

After 32 years in medicine, David retired at the age of 58, giving him nearly twenty years to dive deeper into some of his loves of life, including traveling the world and motorcycle riding, where he’d participate in events like the “Iron Butt Challenge,” riding 1,500 miles in just 36 hours. He shadowed contractors learning to do home improvement projects, and loved working in the garden – something he cherished for the rest of his days. Cycling was another passion, first on the roads and later in the mountains, with friends around Humboldt County, and on group vacations across the country. Days before learning he was living with cancer, David, with his son David Jr., rode in his favorite bicycle race, the Tour of the Unknown Coast, at the age of 75. David also loved jazz, and above all else, he loved his family and would do anything for them.

David often said that he wished to live longer, not for himself, but to help others and work toward healing the “big misunderstanding”: racism. He was motivated to help the world. During his illness, he became even more adamant in helping us understand that racism was all tied to misunderstanding each other. He knew this in his deepest heart, and it became even more simple and clear to him in the end.

David leaves behind his loving wife of 30 years, Denise Cancellier Jones, and three sons Carl Jones, David Jones Jr. and Josh Keppel, as well as daughters-in-law Jamie Herrera-Jones and Amy Berger and grandchildren Jasmine Jones, Janessa Jones and Lazlo Keppel, who all were at his side on his last day. He is also survived by brothers Cleveland and Clyde Jones, who visited from Georgia for David’s 76th birthday in Eureka (one afternoon they recreated the brothers sharing a bed for old time’s sake). David also leaves behind his sister in-law Patricia Jones and many nieces and nephews.

David was preceded in death by his father Prentiss Jones, mother Mattie Jones, stepmothers Ernestine Jones and Ruby Jones and nanny Miss Nelson.

In lieu of flowers, donations in David’s memory can be made to The Southern Poverty Law Center, Betty Kwan Chinn Outreach, the National Museum of African American History & Culture or your favorite charity.

The Celebration of Life is scheduled for Sunday, April 22 at 2 p.m. at the Sequoia Conference Center at the Humboldt County Office of Education, 901 Myrtle Ave., Eureka, CA.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of David Jones’ family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.