William Robert Jones Jr.

William Robert Jones, Jr. (“Bill”) of South Bend passed away peacefully on November 21, 2021 shortly after 5 p.m. in Memorial Hospital in South Bend, from metastatic lung cancer.

He was born on October 26, 1950 in South Bend to William Robert Jones, Sr. and Ruth Jearoldine (Thacker) Jones. Bill was one of nine children.  He graduated from Riley High School in 1969 and served our county in the United States Army in the 196th Infantry Brigade in Da Nang, Vietnam. His was the last infantry brigade to withdraw from Vietnam in June, 1972.  He was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery in combat, as well as several other commendations.

After returning home to Indiana, he enrolled at Indiana University but left before graduating. He later met and married Maggie Folk (now Marnocha) in 1976 and they had three children before divorcing in 1993.  He worked for several decades as the district manager of Bearing Headquarters in South Bend before retiring in 2012. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother John Matthew Jones, and his sister Julie S

chreiner Martens.   He is survived by his children, William R. (Courtney) Jones III of Granger, Andrew B. (Steffi) Jones of South Bend, and Laura (Tom) Plasschaert of South Bend; his grandchildren, William R. Jones V of Granger, Thomas Plasschaert III of South Bend, and Theodore Plasschaert of South Bend; his siblings, Jeane (John) Doktor of Mishawaka, Nita (Jim) Abigt of Mount Juliet, TN, Beare Jones of Fort Myers, FL, Sarah (Bob) Conner of Mishawaka, David (Annie) Jones of Lakeville, and Jeffrey Jones of South Bend; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; and his beloved rescue dog Rocket.

Bill was a devoted fan of Notre Dame Football and Indiana University Basketball.  He was a remarkably talented scratch golfer, shooting a 67 at age 30 and hitting a hole-in-one at Butler National Golf Club in Oak Brook, Illinois.  He was a member of South Bend Country Club for nearly 30 years.  He loved music, particularly The Beatles (although his favorite song was “All the Young Dudes” by Mott the Hoople), and watched the movies Rounders, The Devil’s Own, Gone With the Wind, The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption, and Dances with Wolves more times than his children can count. He will be remembered as a proud man—proud of his country, proud of his military service, and proud of his family.

His children wish to thank the staff and nurses of Memorial Hospital, Dr. Haidong Bao, Dr. Javed Malik, Dr. Nicholas Kerr, and the staff of Heart to Heart Hospice (particularly Maribel Alvarado) for making the past several weeks comfortable for their father.  

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 24 at Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, 3718 So. Michigan St., South Bend, where friends may call from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23 as well as for one hour prior to the services on Wednesday.  In accordance with CDC guidelines, the family requests that attendees who are unvaccinated to please wear face masks at all times.  A procession to Southlawn Cemetery will take place immediately following the memorial service. 

Contributions in memory of Bill may be made in his name to the Humane Society of St. Joseph County, 2506 North Grape Road, Mishawaka, IN 46545.  Online condolences to the family may be sent to www.palmerfuneralhomes.com