Arthur W. "Bo" Jones

Douglas – Arthur W. “Bo” Jones of 13 West Street, died Wednesday, December 13, at the age of 85. His wife of 52 years, Barbara A. (Cassista) Jones, died December 15, 2004.

Born in Whitinsville on August 5, 1932 to Winford L. “Casey” Jones and Emma M. Hodgerney, and raised by his beloved grandparents Winford W. “Sally” Jones and Bertha E. (Wood) Jones. He leaves three daughters: Janet L. and her husband Tony Kuchinski of Whitinsville, June A. and her husband Tom Stefancyk of Uxbridge, and Laurie J. Jones and her husband Joseph Glowka of Franklin; five grandchildren: Stephanie (Kuchinski) Mawn, Tracy (Kuchinski) Lachapelle, Kerry Stefancyk, Bryan Stefancyk, and Courtney Stefancyk Clemence; and five great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sisters Beverly Kurtyka of Oxford and Patricia Hansbrough of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Bo grew up in Whitinsville and graduated from Northbridge High School in 1950. He excelled at baseball and was a standout pitcher for both NHS and American Legion Baseball, and was scouted by and tried out for the Philadelphia Phillies. Instilled in him at an early age by his grandfather, Sally, and his uncle, George A. Jones, was the importance of service to community and country. Bo enlisted in the US Air Force in 1951 and served during the Korean War with the 7th Air Postal Squadron in North Africa. On February 23, 1952 prior to deploying overseas he married his wife, Barbara. He served on active duty in the USAF from 1951 to 1955. He was a firefighter for the Northbridge Fire Department from 1955 to 1972. For many years he was active in the former Whitinsville Blood Donors Club (founded by his grandfather) which provided more than 7,000 pints of emergency blood to the community in its 26 years of service. Beginning in 2006 he oversaw the Barbara Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund which over the years has awarded ten scholarships to college-bound students in the Blackstone Valley. Throughout his life he was a contributor to various charities.

Bo had a long career as a Material Control Manager at companies in MA, NH, and VT. He was an active member of the American Production & Inventory Control Society from 1971 to 1998, belonging to the Worcester and Monadnock chapters. He lived in Whitinsville for most of his life, but also Keene, NH and Douglas. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, and gardening. Bo loved golf (both playing and following the sport), animals and nature, but being with his wife and family was most important to him. With his late wife Barbara he enjoyed attending his grandchildren’s sporting events and dance recitals, travelling, dining-out, golf tournaments, music and going to concerts (particularly Jerry Vale).

Calling Hours will be 10AM-12PM with a Memorial Service at 12PM, Saturday, January 27, at Carr Funeral Home, 24 Hill Street, Whitinsville, MA. Burial will follow in St. Denis Cemetery, Douglas. In lieu of flowers, in celebration of Bo conduct a simple act of kindness. Donations may be made to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org) or the Cancer Research Institute (www.cancerresearch.org).