James L. Jones Sr., former chief of the South Dakota Highway Patrol, passed away on Sunday, July 23, 2017, in Brookings at the age of 83.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Friday, July 28, 2017, at First Presbyterian Church in Brookings with burial at 3 p.m. on Friday in Hillside Cemetery at Langford. Visitations will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday, July 27, 2017, at Eidsness Funeral Home.
James was born on Sept. 18, 1934, in Langford, S.D., to Kenneth and Rose (Jacobson) Jones. He grew up in Langford and graduated from high school there in 1952. Later, on November 30th of that same year, he married Marlene Heinz. He and Marlene lived in the Langford area, except for an Army tour in Germany in the mid 1950's, until 1963. In Langford, they had two sons, James Jr. and Jay.
In 1963, James joined the South Dakota Highway Patrol and moved to Sioux Falls for his first assignment. Through transfers and promotions, James was also stationed in Brandon, Pierre, Brookings, and Aberdeen. He returned to Pierre as a Major, and later served as Colonel of the Highway Patrol under Governors Mickelson and Miller until his retirement in 1995.
Shortly after his retirement, James and Marlene moved back to Brookings, to be closer to their family. James had a great love for his wife and family, enjoyed golf, card games, breakfast with his friends at Hy-Vee, watching his granddaughters grow up, and spending time with his dog, Harper.
James was a member and past office holder of First Presbyterian Church in Brookings, and was a member of the Peace Officers Association, VFW, American Legion, and Golden K.
James is survived by his two sons, James Jr. (Perlita) of Springfield, Mo., and Jay (Cindy) of Brookings, three granddaughters, Shannon (Tim) Pankonin of Elkton, Kelly (Justin) Odegaard of Brookings, Danielle (Seth) Daughters of Sioux Falls, four great-grandchildren, sister Shirley (Dennis) Larson of Groton, brother Kenny (Sherry) Jones of Langford, sister Penny (Bill) Stolle of Groton, brother Brian Jones of Yankton, and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marlene, and his parents.
