THE MOST REVEREND WALTER HEATH JONES

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THE MOST REVEREND WALTER HEATH JONES The Most Reverend Walter Heath Jones retired Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Anglican Diocese and Province of Ruperts Land died on Saturday, March 22, 2003 while skiing with his family in Flagstaff, AZ. Walter was born in St. Boniface, MB, December 25, 1928. His early life was spent briefly in Brandon and Dauphin but mostly in Winnipeg where he went to public school and later to St. Johns College, University of Manitoba. He achieved high honours academically when graduating and then went on to be ordained a Deacon of the Church in 1951 in St. Matthews Cathedral in Brandon. In the same year he married Lily Marilyn Lunney at All Saints Church in Winnipeg. After serving one year in Flin Flon, MB as a Deacon under the tutelage of Archdeacon Raymond Horsefield, he was ordained Priest on Trinity Sunday in the same Cathedral in 1952. From 1951 to 1956 he served the Anglican Church in Flin Flon where he gathered a congregation and built St. Peters Church. It was a happy ministry for him. But soon he was called to Winnipeg where he had multiple responsibilities as Rector of St. John the Baptist Church, service to Church of the Good Shepherd and priest-in-charge of St. Lukes, Emerson until 1958. When his young son was very ill and allergic to wheat dust in the Winnipeg area, he sought prayer for an answer. A letter came from Bishop Conrad Gesner asking him to come to South Dakota. In June of 1958 he became Rector of St. Marys Episcopal Church in Mitchell, SD, where he very happily served until 1962 when he was urged to serve in the Diocesan Office in Sioux Falls, SD as Canon to the Ordinary, being charged with multiple Diocesan duties from 1962 to 1967. He served on the Pension Board of the National Episcopal Church, the nomination committee for General Convention, and the board of Trinity Institute, Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, NY, for continuing clergy education, and was one of the founding bishops of Coalition 14 formed for the purpose of doing national church mission collegially. For just over a year he served St. Georges Episcopal Church in Bismark, ND. In later 1968 he returned to South Dakota to be Dean of Calvary Cathedral where he served until April of 1970 when he was elected Bishop of the Diocese of South Dakota, serving in that capacity until March of 1983. The Diocese of Ruperts Land called him to return to his home of birth in 1983 to be the Bishop. He served as Bishop from 1983, and Acting Archbishop from 1986 to 1988, then was elected and installed as Archbishop and Metropolitan of Ruperts Land (1988) until his retirement in December 1993. Being a "willing servant" he then served the parish of St. Georges Winnipeg, in 1994 and also as interim priest at St. Marys Charleswood. In his retirement he returned to the Diocese of South Dakota where his son and family reside. He continued in his ministry in the capacity of pastoral service at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Rapid City, SD and also served in hospital and nursing home ministry. As well, he was asked to take confirmation services. As a snowbird in the Mesa area of Arizona, he served three churches, All Saints of the Desert in Sun City, AZ, Epiphany Episcopal Church in Tempe, AZ, as pastoral assistant and at St. James Episcopal Church in Tempe, as pastoral assistant. A memorial service was held at Epiphany Episcopal Church in Tempe on March 25. Funeral and burial service is scheduled for Friday, April 4 at 2:00 p.m. at The Cathedral of St. John, Winnipeg, MB. In addition, a memorial service is planned at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Rapid City, on April 15, at 3:00 p.m. Walter had many joys; service to the Lord, especially among Native Canadian and American people in the two dioceses, gardening, a great love of the Boy Scout Movement in which he served as a Scout Master for many years. As well he enjoyed golf and skiing with his family. He gave of his time to the service of others and his patience and marvellous sense of humour enriched many lives. Walter is survived by his wife Marilyn of Rapid City; son Barry Malcolm Heath Jones, (Dr. Susan Jones) of Rapid City; daughters, Irene Lenore Mihara (Com. Thomas Mihara) of Clarksburg, MD, Leach Anne Jones (Dr. Larry Dumka) of Chandler, AZ, and Kristin Maureen Jones Chillemi (Francis Chillemi) of Grand Junction, CO; and by nine grandchildren, Kinzo Heath Mihara, Kasane Grace Mihara, Blake Gioji Mihara, Lindsay Anne Dumka, Allison Jones Dumka, Jennifer Lyn Dumka, Colter Heath Jones, Whitney Wells Jones and Tessa Caroline Chillemi. He is also survived by his sisters, Eileen Coran, Phyllis Northcott; and brother Victor Jones; their spouses and children. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be forwarded to The Archbishop Walter and Marilyn Jones Trust for the support of clergy training, St. Johns College, 92 Dysart Rd., Winnipeg, MB R3T 2M5 or The Walter Heath Jones Trust (for the Diocese of Ruperts Land), Anglican Centre, 935 Nesbitt Bay, Winnipeg, MB R3T 1W6. KLASSEN Funeral Chapel 1897 Henderson Hwy.-North of McIvor 338-0331

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Mar 29, 2003