“And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy.’” – John F. Kennedy, 1963

Leslie David Jones of Gardner, Kan., died suddenly in his home on May 14, at the age of 68. He was born on January 2, 1947 to Army veteran Marion Allan Jones of Kansas City, and his wife Ellen (née Thompson) of Hartlepool, United Kingdom; his parents met while Marion was stationed in northern England during WWII.

David earned his baccalaureate from UMKC before attending Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla. Following commissioning and training in the air intelligence field, he was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64). Rising to the rank of lieutenant, junior grade, his service included two deployments to Southeast Asia in support of U.S. operations in Vietnam. David left active Navy service in 1975, earned his Master of Science in Geography from Kansas State in 1978, and continued his career of federal service with the Social Security Administration, where he worked until his passing.

An avid photographer, David was never far from his trusty Canon F1, even when his eldest son attempted to update his equipment. He also loved assembling model aircraft, and had well over a hundred models in his collection.

David is survived of his wife of 38 years, the former Elaine Schaffer; children David, Christy, and Allan; grandchildren Katie, Lauren, Cindy, Ellen, and Clifton; and many cousins in the United Kingdom.

A graveside service will be held May 27th, at 11:00 a.m., at Leavenworth National Cemetery in Leavenworth, Kan. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in David’s name to the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Donations can be made to http://www.pva.org.