William E. "Bill" Jones

William E. "Bill" Jones, beloved father, brother, grandfather, uncle and friend, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2026, just over a year after the death of his wife, Ann.

Born in 1932, Bill spent his early years in Fort Collins and Southern California. He got his first horse at age eleven, beginning a lifelong love of horses that would shape both his career and his character. He graduated from Fort Collins High School in 1950, earned degrees from Graceland College, Colorado A&M (now CSU), Colorado State College (now UNC) and received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from CSU in 1957, and a few years later, his PhD in genetics from Oregon State University.

Bill excelled in art early, painting and drawing in a variety of mediums as a teen, until he settled on oil painting. His father, J. Lloyd Jones, opened Lloyd's Art Shop on N. College Ave in Fort Collins in 1951, an ideal place to stimulate creativity for Bill and other family members. Lloyd's Art Shop still exists in Fort Collins today, with different ownership. Over the years, Bill created hundreds of oil paintings, now treasured by many family members and friends.

Bill married Elizabeth "Betty" O'Dell in 1956. They made a home in Fort Collins, and the following year, just after Bill graduated from CSU Vet school, their daughter Nina was born.

Bill had his own veterinary practices in both Laramie and Douglas, Wyoming, early in his career. His son George was born in 1959 in Laramie, Wyoming, and son Roy was born in Douglas, Wyoming in 1962. After a few years as a vet, Bill went back to school and earned a master's degree and a PhD, then taught college level courses as a professor of biology, zoology and genetics at Graceland College, Michigan State University, and other institutions. While Bill pursued his education, he and Betty also grew their family. Son Todd was born in Greeley, Colorado in 1965, and son Troy was born in Lebanon, Oregon in 1968.

After a few years as a college professor, Bill's entrepreneurial streak led him away from academia and toward the publishing business. Bill started his own publishing company specializing in horse publications while still teaching. Caballus Publishers was sparked by the publication of his first book, Genetics of the Horse (coauthored by Dr. Ralph Bogart).

Bill and the family then moved back to his hometown of Fort Collins to run the publishing business where he acquired the Arabian Horse News Magazine. In 1975, Bill and Betty divorced, and Bill's business failed, in a rough year that Bill described as "hitting bottom." Afterwards, Bill rented a house on an acreage in LaPorte, Colorado and earned money caring for and selling off a friend's herd of Arabian horses while he considered his next steps. He had met Ann Slatten through the horse publishing business, and they became a couple.

Bill and Ann married and moved to Southern California, where Bill took a job as editor of Horse and Rider magazine, and later conceived of and launched the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, which Bill and Ann operated for about 20 years before selling.

In California, Bill and Ann's newly formed household combined Bill's three youngest (Roy, Todd and Troy), and Ann's two youngest (Scott and Leslie), where they bought a dilapidated home sitting amidst an olive grove, and began making improvements and repairs to the home, a project that lasted over 25 years. (Both Bill and Ann also had two more adult children each, a total of nine offspring between them.)

Never one to stay idle, Bill started accumulating California real estate while prices were low, improving properties and renting them. One of the largest improvement projects he tackled in addition to their home was a run-down RV Park on the shores of Lake Elsinore called Playland RV Park. When he finished the RV park renovation, he sold it in order to move back to Colorado.

With the proceeds, Bill & Ann bought the River Forks Inn in Drake, Colorado, which had a restaurant, bar, 10 lodge rooms, and a campground, as a "retirement project" that turned out to be anything but retirement.

Despite the hard work, Bill and his family enjoyed many good times at the lodge, especially when a variety of musician friends entertained restaurant and bar patrons on weekends. Bill's sons Troy and Roy honed their guitar playing and singing skills to perform often on the stage at the River Forks until the flood of 2013 decimated the lodge and filled it with mud. After surviving the flood, Bill faced loss with resilience and gratitude, often reflecting that family and friendship mattered more than possessions.

Soon after the flood, Bill & Ann relocated to Tucson and had eight happy years of retirement there, before their last move back to Colorado in 2022. They were finally able to retire thanks to Bill's youngest son Troy, who stepped in and took over the massive job of recovery and reconstruction of the River Forks. The lodge finally sold in 2021 after an enormous effort from many different family members.

Once retired, Bill spent his time writing several memoirs and an autobiography about his life experiences, regrets and accomplishments, providing an irreplaceable history for his family. He also authored a book about his ancestors, another important record for his relatives.

Bill is survived by his 5 children Nina (Scott), George (Celeste), Roy (Leesa), Todd (Alena), and Troy (Jessica), 3 stepchildren, Mark (Paula), Scott (Alisha), and Leslie (Matthe), 6 siblings, 11 grandchildren and many great grandchildren, and extended family and friends who all will fondly remember his curiosity, determination, and enduring optimism.

A memorial service and reception will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday February 7, 2026 at the River Forks Inn in Drake, Colorado. (In the case of inclement weather, the location will be moved.) Please contact his daughter Nina at 970-215-7191 if you wish to attend.