Francis Evans Jones, Jr.
Evans (as he was preferred to be called) entered Glory on the morning of October 28th, 2024, he was 93 years old. He joined his beloved wife Mary of 73 years, praising the one, true King! Evans was preceded in death by his daughter, Pamela Pugh and is survived by his son Gregory Jones (Lindsay Jones), son in law Martin Pugh and daughter in law Linda Pugh, son Brett Jones and daughter in law Karena Jones and his daughter Elizabeth Brown (Jemaine Brown), fourteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Evans was born in Orange, California on April 30th, 1931. He was an only child, the prize of Guilda and Francis Sr. Evans grew up on numerous farms in the Orange / Tustin area and developed an incredible work ethic and mechanical skills, as well as a love for animals. He raised chickens and rabbits, Pekingese dogs and loved to ride horses. Many summers and vacations were spent at the family’s cabin in the mountains of Idyllwild. He was an excellent athlete and student and loved to drive and work on cars. He was allowed to get his agricultural driving license at age 13 and would drive non-agricultural vehicles & friends to the beach in Huntington.
In High School, under the tutelage of his shop teacher, he developed a love for design and wood craftsmanship and his desire to become an architect, a dream as a child, was nurtured and flourished. He designed a home for the school principal, the first of hundreds he would create in his lifetime. He began dating the love of his life, Mary, in High School and they graduated together in 1949.
College at Cal Berkeley followed, where Evans was a member of the United States Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). He majored in Architecture and spent countless hours at a drafting table and weekends training with the Army. He loved his visits with Mary on occasional weekends. He often spoke of digging through grocer’s trash bins in the alleys behind their shops for fruits and vegetables that had been tossed but were still edible. He was known for his Iron Gut!
After two years of college, Evans married Mary, and they began their life together at Cal. Evans graduated in June 1953 and was commissioned into the Army as an officer, just as The Korean War was ending. Gregory and Pamela were born in the subsequent years as Evans served in the Army Corps of Engineers at Beale Air Force Base in California. The Yuba City / Marysville Great Flood of Christmas 1955 was an unforgettable experience for Evans as he helped the rescue efforts for (4) days without being able to reach Mary and his children.
In 1956, Evans and the family moved back to Southern California, where he joined an architectural firm and helped raise the kids, as Mary went back to school and began teaching. The family camped at the beach and spent time in Idyllwild and purchased a home in Sepulveda, welcoming Brett and Elizabeth to the fold in the mid-1960s. Following a decade of running a firm in downtown Los Angeles, working on hospitals and schools, Evans and Mary followed his parents to paradise, the Santa Ynez Valley, where Evans started his own practice and helped his father with Old World Metal Craft, a custom light fixture manufacturing company, with Gregory and Pam, joining him at the company.
Evans practiced architecture in the Santa Ynez Valley for nearly 50 years and designed many commercial buildings in Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Buellton, and Solvang. He worked with hundreds of clients and often quipped that he was not only an architect but a marriage counselor! Evans loved his clients and the relationships that he fostered with them. He loved the process of problem solving and working in the field with contractors, landscape architects and engineers. He built lasting friendships with so many in the construction trade.
Evans was gifted with a contractor’s mind and hands, so he always had a project going at home. Loving to work with Mary and his kids on house remodels and additions, in the valley and at their homes at the beach, he spent his weekends building their dreams. He was a multi-tasker, drafting in the evenings while watching TV with Mary and eating his beloved Goldfish!
Evans volunteered on the County of Santa Barbara’s Board of Architectural Review for decades and found time to help with 4H projects, and to participate with Elizabeth and her horse in the Old Santa Ynez Days Parade, where he also drove his Model T. He served as YFL Commissioner for a time and was a founding friend for the YMCA.
Evans was introduced to the Lord Jesus Christ in his late sixties and bowed the knee and received Him as Lord and Savior, beginning a love relationship that blossomed for more than 25 years. He was a true servant, desiring to please His Savior by helping others, and “going” into the world to spread the Love of Christ (Mark 16:15, Luke 14:23, Matthew 28:19-20). He traveled to the Dominican Republic to serve and supported missionaries around the globe. He loved his church family, serving as an usher, under the pastoral care of Blain Gibbs and participated in many Bible Studies and church family moves.
Moving to the Atterdag Village Retirement Community in 2018, the social butterfly in Evans blossomed and he was soon leading prayers before meals, serving on the Resident Board and organizing bocce games. He especially enjoyed playing cards, ping-pong and shooting pool with his friend Mavis.
Evans was eternally grateful to the nurses and staff at Atterdag Village for their care of Mary as she passed into Heaven this past summer and the respect and dignity, they afforded him as he lost his beloved wife and commenced his own journey to Eternity. Executive Director, Chris Parker, a lifelong friend of the family, provided unending support and love, to which Evans, and the family are so appreciative.
Evans was a kind, gentle man, full of grace and humility. He loved his wife and kids, grandkids and great grandkids. He was so giving of his time and money, always putting his needs behind others.
He will be greatly missed!
An intimate family gathering will be held during the holidays and a community Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring, details to follow.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider a donation to the Atterdag Village Scholarship Program for low-income seniors or to Grace Bible Church, Solvang.
Loper Funeral Chapel Directors