More detail on this person: Thomas Hayes Jones, known as Tim, was born February 18, 1944, in Leon, Iowa to Thomas Marion and Clara Frances (Gibson) Jones. He left this life on Thursday, October 26, 2023, from a hard fought battle to cancer at his Thurman, Iowa home. Tim grew up in the Leon area attending Buzzard Roost Country School through the eighth grade and then Leon High School before graduating in 1962. He earned an associate degree from Graceland College then attended Northwest Missouri State College in Maryville, Missouri. He married Judie and they made their home in Waterloo, Iowa where he worked for John Deere. They were blessed with daughter, Angela, in 1965. In 1968, he was drafted to the United States Army. He served as a Cobra helicopter pilot in Vietnam and was honorably discharged as a Chief Warrant Officer. While serving in the military, he met Loan Ngoc Luong, the love of his life. She journeyed to the United States in 1972, where they married in Leon, Iowa. They made their home in Ottumwa and Oskaloosa, Iowa. They were blessed with two children, Anthony "Tony" in 1981, and Andrea in 1984. Loan passed away in January of 2006. His last love was Haydee Waters. She passed away in November of 2017. In his free time, Tim loved hunting, fishing, and watching Fox News. He also enjoyed watching football, especially the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was a member of the Vietnam Helicopter Pilot Association (VHPA) and attended their annual meetings throughout the country. The past eighteen months, Tim made his home with his sister and brother-in-law, Joyce and Stu Johnson, outside of Thurman, Iowa. There he enjoyed watching the neighbor, Mark, do his farming. Preceding him in death were his parents, Thomas Jones and Clara Jones Stout; his stepfather, Gordon Stout; wife, Loan Jones; and beloved companion, Haydee Waters. Survivors include his children, Angela Lee and husband, Buddy, Tony Jones and friend, Holley, and Andrea Haynes and husband, Brandon; grandchildren, Ryder, Gavin, Talan, Grayson, Tate, Braxton, and Brison; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Joyce and Stu Johnson of Thurman, Iowa and Susan and Steve Ryan of Bellevue, Nebraska; several nieces and nephews; and many other family and friends. A memorial service will be held at the Slade - O'Donnell Funeral Home in Leon, Iowa at 10 a.m. Monday, October 30, 2023, with military honors and burial following in the Leon Cemetery. A visitation gathering will be held at Slade - O'Donnell Funeral Home on Sunday, 2 - 4 p.m.
Burial information: Leon Cemetery
This information was last updated 03/05/2025
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Date posted on this site: 10/13/2025
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