Laurence "Larry" Maher Jones

Laurence Maher Jones (Larry)

February 13, 1944 - November 4, 2022

Boise, Idaho

Larry Jones was everybody's best friend, a man whose eyes twinkled when he laughed, and whose kind, generous reliability was evident to everyone he knew.

Often the life of the party, he was also a thoughtful family man.

He enjoyed Sunday mornings at the beach or swimming pool with friends. He enjoyed games, donuts and coffee - and was a prankster in the neighborhood and at work. He loved dressing up for Halloween and at special events, and he loved to tell jokes and stories.

Larry was born in New Haven, Connecticut to Nan and Ted Jones and grew up in an active household with sister Nan-Ellen and brothers Ted (Nancy) and Randy (Jan). He participated in sports growing up, and the Jones home was the social center for The Jomez Club in Cheshire, Connecticut. He played football at Yale University and graduated in 1966, then completed Naval OCS in Newport, RI and specialty training in San Diego before joining the U.S.S. Hollister in Yokosuka, Japan. He served as Gunnery Officer on this destroyer and spent fourteen months in the Gulf of Tonkin, providing artillery support for the Marines in I-Corp.

An essay he wrote about his childhood and early adult life concluded: "Life was good. Then I met Chris, and life got a whole lot better."

He met and married Chris (Gregg) Jones in southern California, and they had two children, Scott and Wendy, before moving to northern CA in 1977. Larry and Chris raised their family there, then moved to Idaho in 2004 when Larry retired from his career in computer consulting management. He experienced great joy and satisfaction when Scott (Kristina) and Wendy (Greg Stahl) found people to share their lives with as he had with Chris.

During his lifetime, Larry enjoyed playing golf and tennis, skiing, fishing, boating, traveling to Hawaii frequently, as well as weekend family trips to Kirkwood, California for skiing, hiking, water activities, and special celebrations.

He coached his son, Scott's, youth baseball and soccer, took him out of school for a day to go to a World Series baseball game, and spent time going on college visits.

He was the most vocal supporter of his daughter, Wendy's, soccer, enjoyed plotting with Wendy to push Chris' boundaries of frivolity, and offered sage advice even when it was tough.

Larry loved his four grandkids (Aaron, Kathryn, Matilda and Theodore) and looked forward to the many visits and adventures over the years. He enjoyed renting boats for the kids to tube behind, fishing in local ponds, treating at fun restaurants and running the Santa Train around the holidays. He was aptly named Pappy, a nickname that carried over from his younger years. Theodore struggled to say Pappy and called him Happy instead, which seemed quite fitting.

Larry planned international trips for he and Chris to adventure and explore together and was ever thoughtful and loving to his wife of 52 years.

He received "a kitchen pass" many summers to join the boys for some golf and male-only camaraderie in Black Butte Ranch, Oregon. Many vacations included other friends for golf, access to gorgeous beaches, or new destinations like Tahiti, New Zealand, and Ireland.

Larry and Chris lived in Eagle and McCall, Idaho and had recently returned to Boise. Larry loved music from a young age when he was a founding member of Midnight and the Moonbeams, and was an active member on the Board of Directors for The McCall Music Society for many years, serving as both treasurer and housing coordinator for all musicians participating in the annual Summerfest in McCall.