Henry Walton Jones' Obituary
Henry Walton Jones
“Nothing Fancy”
Henry Walton Jones, 86, of Lewes, DE passed away on October 6, 2010. He was born on July 3, 1924, son of J. Clawson and Anita B. Jones.
“Walt” as his friends called him, was born in Baltimore and spent his childhood in Chestertown, MD. He attended Chestertown High School before enlisting in the military and serving in WWII. After serving in the Air Force as an aeronautical engineer, he returned to Maryland to complete high school at West Nottingham Academy in Colora, MD where he met his future wife Eleanor ‘Jane” Slaybaugh. After a four-year courtship they were married in Wilmington, DE, April 29, 1950.
During most of the 1950’s, Walt was employed at DuPont Chemical but moved to Sussex County in 1957 and opened a Par 3 golf course on Route 1 at the current location of Sea Air mobile home park. It would be the first of many business ventures inspired by his life-long passion for his favorite sport, golf.
Later, in 1964, Walt built Old Landing Golf Course, which he ran until 1979 at which time he began developing a new project that would result in the Midway Par 3 golf course on Route 1 just north of the Midway Shopping Center. At the time, people thought he was crazy for opening a business “so far out of town” but time would prove Walt a brilliant man, one that was loved and adored by all.
Mr. Jones was pre-deceased by his brother James Clawson Jr. He is survived by his wife Eleanor "Jane;" three children: Paul Jones and his wife Ceil of Dover, Rick Jones and wife Joan of Rehoboth Beach, and Barbara Moore and her husband Mark of Lewes; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; and nieces: Lynn Daue of Towson, MD and Kathy Page of Annapolis, MD.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, October 9, 11:00 AM at Epworth United Methodist Church, 19285 Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach; there will be no calling hours. Interment will be private at Epworth Methodist Cemetery. Arrangements by Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Lewes, DE.
Walt’s last wish was the enigmatic “Nothing Fancy” - a motto by which he lived his life. To respect Walt's wishes, the Jones family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Epworth United Methodist Discretionary Fund, 19285 Holland Glade Road, Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 or Meals on Wheels, 32409 Lewes-Georgetown Highway, Lewes, DE 19958 or the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 163, Salisbury, MD 21803.
Sign online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com
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