Vasco “Sonny” DeVaca Jones Jr, 79, passed away suddenly from complications of Alzheimer’s on May 22, 2023.

Sonny was born on March 5, 1944 to Vasco D. Jones and Margaret Weaver Jones in Rocky Mount, NC. He grew up in Rocky Mount where he was a proud member of the very cohesive RMHS Class of 1962. He was fortunate to spend most of his time in the Army in Germany. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from East Carolina University where he met his wife, Elizabeth.

He started his post office career as a letter carrier in Arlington, VA. After he and Elizabeth moved to Marshall, VA, he was a rural mail carrier for many years. Later, he became a much-loved Postmaster in Rectortown, VA.

Growing up, he loved his Boy Scout experience. So once his sons were old enough to join, he became a scout master in Boy Scout Troop 177 in Marshall, VA and later in Troop 92 in Warrenton, VA, where he not only guided his sons to their Eagle Scout Rank but others too. He thoroughly enjoyed working with youth and helping them succeed. He was so invested in scouting that he completed the extensive leadership Wood Badge training. After retiring from the Post Office, he took his joy of working with youth and became a special education teacher for grades K- 3 while working on his graduate degree in education.

Sonny loved to work with his hands. He and his wife literally built their own house. They did it all including designing, wiring, plumbing, and tiling. They started with a 1080 sq ft 3 story hexagon shaped building with a solid stone foundation built with stone found on the property. Not the easiest first building project. Through the years they added on an additional 2700 square feet and built a workshop. They lived there for 44 years before moving to MD to a retirement community. Sonny built Kung Fu practice dummies for a Kung Fu school along with toys, birdhouses, candleholders and anything else he could think of building. He never found a piece of wood he couldn’t imagine as something else. He was an early adapter of recycling and upcycling - constantly bringing things home to use and to create.

Carolina style barbecue was one of his favorite things to cook. He was continually refining and adapting his recipes to find the perfect combination of vinegar and spices. Anyone who was lucky enough to taste his barbecue sauce had a treat! He instilled a love of cooking in his sons.

He loved writing and had several short stories published in the Fauquier Magazine. In addition, he was an active writer of Letters to the Editor. His favorite books included Lonesome Dove and Cold Mountain. He and his family traditionally watched the movie Groundhog Day every year. Other favorites included The Big Chill and Love Actually.

Sonny was an outgoing, welcoming person who never met a stranger. He loved his community, neighbors, the outdoors, and his many pets. He participated in the Adopt-a-Highway program around Rectortown as The Midday Mosbier, a play on the Gray Ghost’s name. His love of skiing had him volunteering as a ski patrol member at the short-lived Cherokee Ski Resort in Linden, VA. He played guitar and was a self-taught pianist who enjoyed creating music.

He leaves behind his wife of 54 years, Elizabeth Underwood Jones; son, Gregory L. Jones (Lauren); grandson, Everett S. Jones; son, Tyler D. Jones (Lisa); brother, David H. Jones and sister, Susan J. Piner (Robert) and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Peggy J. Nicholson.

Remembrances may be sent to Elizabeth Jones, 3128 Gracefield Rd., Apt. 110, Silver Spring, MD 20904. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (https://www.alzdiscovery.org) which uses your entire donation for drug discovery research for Alzheimer’s disease