Douglas Payne "Doug" Jones

Jones, Douglas Payne "Doug" 74, died on April 25 in Montrose, Colo., in the company of his two daughters after a long illness. Mr. Jones was born on June 5, 1936, in Alpine, Texas, to Charles Thompson "CT" and Irene Payne Jones. He served in the U.S. Army between 1958-61 and married Naomi Morgan, whom he met in Frisco, in 1960. He earned a BA in elementary education and an MFA Sculpture, both from the University of Denver. He taught school, first for the Denver Public School system (196366) and later as an art instructor at Kent Denver Country Day School (196871), where he also chaired the department. Mr. Jones' artwork was exhibited at several venues, including a juried show at the Denver Art Museum in 1965; the 1970 Aspen Art Festival, where he created a long, inflatable tube that could be explored from the inside and outside; and a one-man gallery show of his "Windtrap" series of inflatable, cloth sculptures at Zune Gallery in Denver in 1972. From 197172, Mr. Jones directed the Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colo. In 1973, he moved to Summit County, and was commissioned to create a large-scale kinetic sculpture for Copper Mountain ski area, which incorporated Jones's love of natural elements as well as Colorado's history of mining. Mr. Jones also built furniture and created several restaurant interiors. From 1980-86, Mr. Jones served as the Frisco town mayor, and helped to create the Frisco Nordic and Historic Parks, among other improvements. In the late 1980s, Mr. Jones worked as city administrator for Leadville and was named administrator for Hinsdale County in 1988. Later, he ran the Hinsdale Title Company in Lake City for more than a decade. He returned to teaching in the Lake City Public Schools in 2001, retiring in 2008. Mr. Jones is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Richard A. and Susan B. Jones of Boulder; his daughters, Gretchen Jones of Silver Spring, Md., and Julia Jones of Los Angeles, Calif.; three grandchildren, Ella D., Catalina, and Desmond; and his former wife, Naomi Jones Knorr of Summit County. A memorial service will be held on July 23, 2011, in Lake City. Letters may be sent to Gretchen Jones, 9211 Three Oaks Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20901. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Lake Fork Community Foundation, P.O. Box 322 Lake City, CO 81235.