On February 17, 1958, Ronald Charles Jones was born to Ruetta Ruth (Durst) and Richard Fred Jones. Ron was born in Monterey Park, California, the youngest of three boys. He spent his formative years in South El Monte, California, and enjoyed getting up early to go fishing and play pranks on those he regularly associated with. As a teenager, he enjoyed the local school rivalries, which he had fond memories of and talked about often in adulthood.
In 1978, Ron married Cathy Mae Weeks, and together they had a son, Michael Alan Jones. They later divorced, but Ron continued to be involved in Michael’s life. In 1992, Ron was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Being a member of the church brought him great joy and a tender-hearted testimony of his Savior, Jesus Christ. On September 1, 1995, Ron married Andrea Kristine Miller in the Salt Lake City Utah Temple. Together, they had two children: Andrew Ronald Jones and Amanda Mauretta Jones. They later divorced in 2012, but both parents remained actively involved in their children’s lives. Being a parent was one of Ron’s greatest accomplishments. Perhaps this was because Ron was always a kid at heart. Ron loves each of his children dearly. He loved to talk about them, brag about their accomplishments, share what they were doing in life, and spend as much time as he could with them. He made sure to regularly stay in touch with his kids through phone calls, texts, silly jokes, and pictures.
Ron worked for many years as a machinist in California. He loved to do work that required hands-on effort. After moving to Utah in January 2000, Ron worked at Longview Fibre Co., PreCorp, U.S. Synthetic, Lowe’s, and most recently at Little Giant Ladder. He had a variety of interests, which allowed him to make longtime friends and associates. Ron would wake up early and loved to stay busy all day. His favorite thing to do was talk to people wherever he went. You could not get into or out of a store without Ron being stopped, or Ron stopping someone else, to chat about his kids, his work, and anything else of interest.
A friend introduced Ron to the world of Santa Claus. In 2011, Ron began spending all year growing out his hair and beard so that he could have them professionally bleached as he transformed into one of Santa’s helpers. He began his Santa business by attending private family parties as he continued to work full-time. Ron loved his life as Santa so much that he soon began working at local malls. He later began contract work as Santa outside of Utah where he spent time in Illinois and California taking on the role of the jolly old man in a red suit. Ron loved to interact with his elves, and he especially loved to make the kids laugh and smile. He even kept all the letters that were written to him from the kids to Santa Claus and enjoyed reading them throughout the year. One of Ron’s greatest attributes was his desire to try and help other people experience happiness.
Ron passed away unexpectedly on January 31, 2024, in Spanish Fork, Utah, at the age of 65. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Ruetta Jones. Ron is survived by his three children: Michael Alan Jones of Tennessee, Andrew Jones of Spanish Fork, Utah, and Amanda Jones of Salem, Utah; a granddaughter, Makayla Dawn Jones of Tennessee; two brothers, Dave (Georgia) Jones and Mike (Kathy) Jones of California; several nieces and nephews; several great nieces and nephews; and many in-laws, friends, co-workers, and associates. Ron’s children would also like to express their sincere gratitude to the many Spanish Fork Utah police officers, EMTs, and the Utah Medical Examiner’s office for their professionalism, care, and kindness to the family during a very difficult time. A visitation and memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024. The visitation will take place at 9:30 a.m. and will be followed by a memorial service at 11:00 a.m.
Both the visitation and memorial will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse located at 160 South 460 West in Salem, Utah.
In memory of Ron, talk to a stranger, share a smile, and spread happiness wherever you are.
