Blufford Paul Jones, 88-years-old, was a retired Southern Pacific Locomotive Maintenance Specialist.
He passed away due to complications from the COVID-19 virus on Monday, March 8, 2021.
Preceding him in death was his wife, Wilta Lee Jones; his parents, Hardie and Myra Jones; sister Harlene Ontjes and her husband Harlan Ontjes; sisters Virginia Smith, LaRue Lauderdale, Helen Buckner, Opal Mortensen; sister Ersel Spannagel and husband Bill Spannagel; brothers-in-law Robert McLean and Clark Ellison. Also, first niece Elizabeth Bartlett.
He is survived by sisters Leona McLean, Dorothy Bottos, Helma Ellison and brothers-in-law Harold Lauderdale, Tommy Buckner, Jimmy Mortensen and Richard Bottos. Also, too many to list, many wonderful nieces and nephews.
The family called him Paul. He was born in Throckmorton, TX in 1933. He served in the United States Army after high school. He lived in several places before he and Lee came to Houston, with the Southern Pacific Railroad.
Paul lived in the Spring Branch area in Houston, TX for approximately 33 years. His neighbor, Belinda Mendiola, was a blessing. She lived by Paul for all those years. She said he was her righthand man-helping her with her car and things around her house. She said he worried about her and their neighbor Art who lived across the street.
Paul was much like his father. He liked fixing things; tinkering with old cars; he even built a tractor like his father had done.
In his later years, his dream was to buy an old Volkswagon “Vanwagon”-like the hippies had from the sixties-and travel in it. Unfortunately, he never got to fulfill that dream.
He liked buying property and working on it, once owning lake property in Hempstead, TX and on Lake Livingston, in Livingston, TX.
He loved road trips, traveling all over the United States with late wife “Lee” (as the family called her). Occasionally, Paul and his sister Dorothy would head out to visit sisters, hunt for grave sites of their grandparents and other relatives, or just go exploring.
Paul liked to eat. Food was often a topic of conversation. He liked watching old western movies and gameshows, and he stayed up with the politics of the day, often sparring with one of his sisters who had different views.
Paul was the only son in the Jones family of 10 daughters. Mercel, twin to Ersel, passed away as an infant. Was Paul spoiled? Naw. Paul was an all-around good guy. He will be missed by his family and friends.
At families request masks must be worn during all funeral services.
Visitation will be held on Friday, March 12, 2021, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Hurley Funeral Home Chapel Devine, Texas. Funeral service will be held at the Hurley Funeral Home located at 303 College, Devine, TX on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at 10 a.m. The burial service will follow at the Evergreen Cemetery in Devine, TX.