Obituary: Bradley H. Jones Sr., 89

September 29, 1930 – September 7, 2020

North Reading – Bradley H. Jones, Sr., age 89, died Monday, September 7, just three weeks before his 90th birthday. 

Mr. Jones is survived by his wife, Jean of 67 years, three children, Karen Billingham and her husband Marc, Mark Jones and his wife Ying, and State Representative Brad Jones and his wife Linda. He also leaves behind five grandchildren, Mark Jr, Greg, Christopher, Alexis, Nicholas, and two great-grandchildren.    

Brad is a veteran of the Korean War. The discipline and patriotism he learned in the Air Force never left him, as his friends and colleagues will attest.      

Brad was born on September 29, 1930, in Clinton, Massachusetts, the only son of Guy and Ruth Jones. Brad attended Mount Hermon Prep School before attending the University of New Hampshire where he met his loving wife Jean. Anyone who knew Brad heard the story of how he met Jean and many people have heard that story more than once. They married in December of 1952 shortly before Brad shipped out to serve in the war.     

He spent over fifty years in the hotel and restaurant hospitality industry as a project & purchasing manager for hotels and restaurants across the country, Central America, and the Caribbean. He spent decades with Sonesta, Sheraton, and Howard Johnson hotels. After working with these chains, he opened a hospitality consulting partnership with his long-time hotel friend, Bill Lyons. His various hospitality jobs gave him a passion for travel with his best days seeing the opening of a new property.      

Brad and Jean moved to North Reading in 1959 and he became a fabric of the town with his community involvement. Brad served on the Finance Committee, Middle School Building Committee, Town Search Committees, North Reading youth sports coach, and helped establish the North Reading Chapter of the Citizen Scholarship Foundation (CSF) where he and Jean volunteered for nearly 40 years.

He worked tirelessly on behalf of the Town of North Reading. Brad spent countless hours at Town Hall and at Town Meetings, always carrying the most recent town budget under his arm. He loved to talk with people about town politics and always had a story to tell. He was an avid reader who loved his daily crossword puzzles.

He served his town and his county with great passion. He lived a full and happy life and will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

Due to the Covid Pandemic, his graveside service will be private. At the request of the family, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the North Reading Dollars for Scholars, Bradley & Jean Jones Endowment Fund, PO Box 529, North Reading, MA  01864. 

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