JONES, Frederick O. (1944-2023)

JONES

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 4/29/2023 at 15:03:13

Frederick Otice Jones
(February 1, 1944 - January 8, 2023)

Frederick Otice Jones, 78, passed away on Sunday, January 8, 2023. A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, January 13, 2023 in the Matthew Simpson Room of College Hall on the Simpson College Campus. Fred and his wife Julie are long-time members of the St John’s Lutheran Church in Des Moines.
Fred was the son of Alfred Eugene Jones and Catherine Virginia Jones. Fred and twin brother Floyd Arden were born on February 1, 1944. Younger brother John Hammond was born on the twin’s 5th birthday and was presented as their 5th birthday present in 1949. The most important consideration in Fred’s life was family. On Valentine’s Day in 1981, Fred married the love of his life, Julie Gail Anderson. Fred and Julie were gifted with the opportunity to parent four children, Jason Eugene Jones (Kim), Jacalyn Ann Gibbons (Jack), Chad Allen Prall (Hillary), and Jayson Aaron Jones. Fred was blessed with an exceptional family and was proud of the professional contributions their children and children-in-law have made. God provided eight healthy and talented grandchildren including Maddie, Sam, and Josie (Jason/Kim), Chance and Blake (Jack/Jacalyn), and Jacob, Jonah, and Hannah (Chad/Hillary). As well as a great grandchild Julian Jacob Prall (Jonah/Makayla). Also grieving are sisters-in-law Sue Jones and Jennie Jones as well as many nieces and nephews.
All three brothers grew up in Osceola, Iowa and graduated from Clarke Community High School. Fred came to Simpson in 1962 as a freshman with his twin brother, Floyd, and graduated with the class of 1966. While students at Simpson, the brothers were members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and both played football and ran as members of the track team. Fred pursued a Master’s Degree in Sociology at the University of Iowa and completed his Ph.D. in the Sociology of Deviant Behavior Program at Mississippi State University. In 1970, Dr. Jones joined the Simpson College faculty where he marked a 50-year career as a criminologist. He has had thousands of students and is grateful for the challenges and insights his students have provided. He was appointed by the Iowa Supreme Court to serve on the Juvenile Court Officers Training Committee and the Commission for Continuing Legal Education. He served in the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration in the oversight and distribution of educational assistance money for police officers in the Midwest in the 70s and 80s. Fred co-authored the proposal that established South Central Youth and Family Services, a juvenile shelter agency which served the needs of six counties in central and southern Iowa. Over the years he has strived to make Simpson’s criminal justice major one of the regions, if not the nation’s, best. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing the first Advanced Standing Program for undergraduate students in Iowa and the Masters of Arts Degree Program in Criminal Justice. Dr. Jones established the Simpson Urban Studies Institute (SUSI) in 2007 which provides students the opportunity to research problem areas in the Des Moines metropolitan area under the guidance of a faculty member.
Fred was preceded in death by his parents and brothers. Memorial contributions can be made to the Criminal Justice Minority Scholarship Fund at Simpson College or to the family for a memorial. Here is a link for a campus map that will guide people to College Hall. Simpson College Indianola Campus Map The Matthew Simpson Room is on the 2nd floor of College Hall. [This memorial is provided by Overton Funeral Home, 501 West Ashland Ave., Indianola, Iowa, http://www.overtonfuneral.com/]