Daniel Edsall Jones

Daniel Edsall Jones, 98, passed away on Thursday, February 15, 2024 peacefully with his bride of 75 years, Carol, by his side.

Dan was born in Duluth, MN at St. Luke’s Hospital. His dad was a Railroad Engineer who passed away when he was 10. His mom was a stay-at-home mom until then, and she became one of the first Licensed Practical Nurses in Duluth. Dan moved around between Duluth, Brainard, and Gary, IN.

In the spring of 1943, at the age of 18, he signed up for the U.S. Navy. He went to Bootcamp in Farragut, ID. June of 1944 he was on the LST 709 heading to the Mediterranean. His biggest mission was the Second Invasion of France. He was discharged from WWII in December 1945.

Dan worked at the Lyric Theater in Duluth. He met the girl he would spend the rest of his life with, Carol. They were married on April 24, 1948. Dan was in the reserves and was sent to Green Cove Springs, FL. The Korean War broke out and he stayed state-side preparing ships for duty. Dan went to Duluth Junior College and graduated in 1950 with an Associates of Arts Degree.

Dan and Carol started a family in 1949 when Steve was born, Roxanne in 1953, Kris in 1957, Jim in 1959, and Pat in 1960. They settled in Lakeside before moving to Woodland in a house they stayed in for 50 years. Dan made a career in teaching electronics in Duluth public school system and Duluth Central High School, where he stayed for 32 years. He was a whiz at anything electrical. He made sure to teach his skills to all five of his kids, and his knowledge of life helped all of them in many ways.

He loved camping and fishing, and being a schoolteacher, that’s how the summers were mostly spent. All his kids were eager to help pack the family truckster for their time at the campground. They started out with a tent, then a better tent, then fold down camper. Eventually the kids were gone and off on their own. Dan and Carol grew out of the camper and into a motorhome. They travelled everywhere this country had to offer. A second motor home was replaced with his beloved 1996 Dodge 2500 with a fifth wheel camper pull behind. This would eventually be the last campier for them; retiring it to a permanent spot in Sturgeon Lake. Dan and his grandson, Mark, built a beautiful deck for it.

Fishing was a large part of his life and camping was always on a lake. He had a 10’ Eldo Craft Boat with a 3-horse Johnson. The outboard didn’t have neutral or reverse – you had to hold on to the dock before spinning the motor 180 ° to go in reverse. The lower unit folded up and went into a plastic case that had the perfect shape of a Norelco Electric Shaver. Eventually that was replaced with a 14’ Lund with a 15-horse Mercury (it’s still in the family.) Dan enjoyed Lake Superior fishing. He got himself a great deal on an 18’ fiberglass boat, motor, and trailer deal. He spent countless hours making repairs to the boat, painting it and rigging it for just one purpose, Lake Superior fishing. He was now set for all his fishing needs, and he enjoyed it all: from the area lakes around Duluth to Lake of the Woods, Lake Superior to Lake Michigan, Dan was in his realm. There are countless camping and fishing stories to tell, from road trips to breaking down, to white knuckle boat trips, to all the wonderful places that the family took. Those memories will last forever.

“Thank you, Dad. We miss you and we know some day we will see you again. Your knowledge in the bible and the ways of God assures all of us that you are where you belong, with God at his side.”

Dan was preceded in death by his grandson, Benjamin Jones; father, Daniel Jones; mother, Alice Backstrom; stepfather, Elmer Backstrom; brothers, Scott and Walter; sister, Ethel; and brother-in-law, John Stahl.

Dan is survived by his wife, Carol; children, Steve (Lin) of Loveland CO, Roxanne (Kevin) of Iron River WI, Kristine (Roy) of Edna TX, Jim (Peggy) of Holy Oak MN, and Reverend Patrick (Kathy) of Kelso WA; grandchildren, Cody (Caley), Chris, Gretchen, Daniel (Casey), Krista, Carol (Rob), Patrick, Mark (Tammy), Jason, Joseph (Taylor), Sara, Connor, and Dawn (Brian); great-grandchildren, Beau, Arla, Fisher, Carson, Madison, Trent (Kara), Elliot, Dean, and Penny; great-great-grandchildren, Cayden and Page; nephew, Pat (Mary) and niece, Kathy, both of Minot ND.

The family would like to extend a thank you to the staff at Ecumen Lakeshore Hospice for the wonderful care given to Dan in his final days.

Visitation to be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, May 17th at Sunrise Funeral Home, 4798 Miller Trunk Hwy, with Memorial Service to follow at 11:00 AM. Military Honors and Interment the MN State Veterans Cemetery - Duluth at 2:00 PM. Reception will be held at the Shrine Event Center, 5152 Miller Trunk Hwy, from 12:00 – 5:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to any Veteran organization you prefer in Dan's honor. 

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