Charles F Jones MD

North Kingstown -

Charles Frederick Jones

April 18th, 1930 - September 20th, 2025

Died at age 95

Charles F Jones, MD (95) of North Kingstown, RI, died peacefully on September 20th, 2025, surrounded by family. Born on April 18th, 1930, in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, he was the son of William Gordon Jones and Frances (Marion) McFarland. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Janet M. Chase Jones (Jane), and his two daughters, Deirdre A. Jones and Heather L. Jones, and his four grandchildren: Owen Bjork, Kai Bjork, Bradford Arslan, and Liam Arslan. Charles survived his much-loved siblings, who all lived in the UK, and also lived into their nineties.

Charles graduated from Campbell College Preparatory School in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Following secondary school, with his future career path undecided, he joined the British Merchant Marines. He joined the renowned Blue Funnel Line, a merchant shipping company based in the UK, where he had a chance to visit all the major ports in the Far East, from Port Said in Egypt to Port Chinnampo (Nampo) in North Korea. These adventures were truly formative experiences that ended in 1949.

He then attended Trinity College, University of Dublin, for pre-med studies and medical school, where he graduated in June 1957. After graduating from Trinity College, he went directly to the U.S., where he served a two-year residency at Graystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morristown, NJ, before deciding that psychiatry was not for him. He then began a residency in internal medicine at Bridgeport Hospital in CT before transferring to Rhode Island, where he interned at Rhode Island Hospital. Later, he completed his fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Lahey Clinic in Boston. In 1963, Charles joined a group practice of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology on Reservoir Avenue in Cranston, RI. After 20 years in practice, he took a position at Metropolitan Life Insurance, where he served as Vice President and Head Medical Director of their New England Offices, until his retirement in 1998.

Charles was affectionately known as Charlie or Doc to his patients and colleagues, while his close friends knew him as Derrie. He retired to spend more time with his family and engage in all his favorite activities. He spent his summers at the Dunes Club, where he was a founding member. He enjoyed the beach, tennis, dancing, and socializing with friends. Derrie also enjoyed country western dancing, where he and Jane rocked the dance floor three to six nights a week. They danced everything from the West Coast Swing to the Texas Two-Step. He was also a true jazz enthusiast.

Derrie also enjoyed many outdoor activities, including hiking, canoeing, and bird-watching. He was an avid gardener, keeping a diverse perennial garden which he tended to every summer. He was very proud of his tomatoes and the impatiens that he planted in the garden every year. Most of all, Derrie was known for his great wit, his conversational skills, dry humor, and storytelling abilities. All of these hobbies and adventures he enjoyed with his lovely, artistic wife over the last 59 years.