On New Year’s Day, unexpectedly after a short illness, Danny Jones died as he lived. On his own terms. At home in his own bed. In the arms of the woman he loved. Surrounded by the dogs he treasured.
Danny refused to embrace the conventions and bureaucracy of life. A truly remarkable man in every sense of the word, he was committed to fairness and decency.
Witness the time he shunned his bosses and crossed a court room to sit alongside an ex colleague who he believed was being maligned and unfairly prosecuted by the Company he worked for.
Danny, the only child of Gloria & Bob Jones, was born on July 5th 1954 (he might as well have had ‘Independent’ tattooed on his forehead). As a young child, the family moved to Paso Robles and into the home he grew up in. The same home he later married Sue (nee Ferrell) in. The home in which they raised their three children, Kelly & Kasey (twins) and Tyler; together with Sue’s two children Sarah and Clint Fournier. The home he died in.
As a young man, Danny was an accomplished athlete on land and sea. However, that competitive nature never manifested itself as aggression. Au contraire, for Danny was a man of contradictions. A winner, never a bad loser. Perceptive, never pretentious. Impressive, never imperious. Eloquent, never an egotist. Proud, never pompous.
That unpredictability made Danny the consummate salesman in a career that saw him ascend from selling printing equipment, to buying and selling the manufacturers and distributors he used to work for.
Later in life he channeled his enterprising spirit into building local businesses. Dark Nectar Coffee & The 9’s Salon serve their local communities, making all welcome by celebrating the joy of camaraderie and the potential of individuals. For Danny was committed to giving everyone a chance. He looked beyond individual faults and believed in those who had yet to believe in themselves.
Danny also loved music and movies. One of his favorites was Glengarry Glen Ross, the film that coined every salesman’s favorite line, “coffee is for closers”. Danny has made his last close. Yet his uniquely jovial contrarian nature means his energy and graciousness live on in his family and an extended iconoclastic web of friends
That is the true measure of this rare and extraordinary man. Memorial Service details to follow.
A full obituary is at https://www.facebook.com/danny.jones.37454/posts/3412726552134664
