Roger William Jones

Roger W. Jones, age 90, of Winsted, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 5, 2022, with his devoted wife Norma by his side. 

Roger was born on February 2, 1932, in Unity, Maine, son of Frederick and Annie Jones.  While still a young boy, his family moved to Pleasant Valley, CT and soon after to Winsted.  He graduated from Gilbert High School in 1949, where he played football and basketball.  After attending UConn, Roger entered the U.S. Airforce and served as a loadmaster on Globemaster transport aircraft from 1950-1954. In 1954 he met and married his wife of 67 years, Norma (Gossage), and returned to Winsted. Roger then began a long career as a land surveyor, first working for O & G, and Brunelli Construction, and then establishing Kratzert & Jones Civil Engineering and Land Surveying of Southington in 1963 with his partner Art Kratzert.  From 1972-1987, he also owned and operated Indian Rock Orchard in Southington.  After retiring from Kratzert & Jones, Roger engaged in land purchase and development.

A social and community minded man, Roger became a Master Mason in 1961 at the St. Andrews Masonic Lodge in Winsted and later joined the Friendship

Lodge in Southington, where he achieved the level of Worshipful Master.  He rejoined the St. Andrews Lodge after moving back to Winsted in 1989.  He could be found there one Sunday a month, faithfully helping to prepare their famous roast beef dinners. Roger served on the Board of Directors for Northwest Community Bank, and as a Trustee of The Gilbert School.  His many volunteer activities utilized his carpentry and construction skills at the Winsted United Methodist Church, Habitat for Humanity, and Winsted Day Care, where he helped build the playground.  When he visited the daycare for repair work, the preschool children would gather excitedly around him and his tools, calling him “Uncle Roger”.

Roger enjoyed sports of all kinds, and participated in adult men’s league athletics in Southington, including basketball and softball.  He learned to ski as a teenager using his homemade wooden skis, and eventually skied in Canada and Europe as an adult.  He was a fan of the New York Giants, the Boston Red Sox and UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams.  He was an avid golfer and a long-time member of the Greenwoods Country Club in Winsted.  Roger loved hiking and climbed many peaks around New England, including the Presidential Range in NH and Mt. Katahdin in Maine. 

Roger loved to travel the world and did so extensively with his wife Norma. Destinations included the United States, Europe, Canada and South America.  He particularly enjoyed visiting the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu.  After retiring, Roger reconnected with many of his air force buddies, and enjoyed yearly reunion trips around the country with them, and their wives.  In the summer, Roger loved spending time in Maine with his family.  He and Norma also enjoyed winters in Florida.

In addition to his wife Norma, Roger is survived by his sons James E. Jones and wife Mary Jean (Dorr) of Southington; Stuart A. Jones and wife Ellen (Murray) of Duxbury, MA; and daughters Sheila Shea and husband William of Sheffield, MA; and Cindy Bateson and husband Neil of Methuen, MA. He was a loving grandfather to Collin (Elizabeth), Siobhan, Connor (Lindsay),

Rachel (Warren), Kristen, Callie, Lila, Fred, Chloe, and Serena, and great-grandfather to Peyton, Olivia, Carter, Ryan, Luke and Ella.  He was a loving brother to his sisters Carol Finkelstein and Barbara Adams, and uncle to nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his granddaughter Heather Hayes, his brother Fred Jones, and sisters Arlene, Janet and Sandra Jones.  Roger will be remembered as an intelligent, hard-working, and principled man who loved and cared for his family and friends.

Arrangements: Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 19 at the Maloney Funeral Home, 55 Walnut St. Winsted, CT from 10:00 AM to 12 PM immediately followed by a memorial service. Graveside services will be on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at 11:00 AM at the Forest View Cemetery. The family kindly asks that face coverings be worn.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wounded Warriors Project. 

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