Richard Allen Jones passed away on February 12th at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington due to complications of diabetes, a disease he was diagnosed with at only 3 years of age. Allen, as everyone knew him, was a recent resident of Everett where he lived with his daughter Moriah. Before moving to Washington he resided in Post Falls, Idaho for 8 years. However, for the majority of his life, the place Allen called home was West Wendover, Nevada.
Allen was born in Oakland, California on March 26, 1946 to Cecil and Vivian Jones and had two older sisters, Lorna and Donna, all of whom preceded him in passing. When he was 12 years old Allen’s parents divorced and within a year his mother married his step-father, Harold Herbert Hinman. The family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska and shortly after his sister Mary was born, who currently resides in San Rafael, California.
After graduating from Fairbanks High School in 1964 Allen set out on a trip to explore the continental United States. Once done with his travels he spent a few years in Reno and Ely, Nevada before moving to Wendover in 1968. There he started out as a card dealer at the Stateline Casino where he later became a Pit Boss. His career was almost entirely spent in the gaming industry, except for a summer spent as a commercial fisherman off the coast of Alaska in 1975. After his retirement in 2005 Allen moved to Idaho with his wife Linda, who he had married in July of 1977.
Allen and Linda were married for 35 and a half year and had two daughters, Moriah and Tess. Due to his nearly life long struggle with diabetes Allen didn’t expect to survive to see either of his daughters graduate from high school. He not only did so but was also able to give Tess away when she married Brandon Whitelaw in 2006. Additionally, during the last year and a half of his life, Allen spent many precious hours with his only grandchild, Brandon and Tess’ son Ethan.
Anyone who knew Allen could tell you that he was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping. He was also quite the dare devil who spent many years racing dirt bikes and fast cars as a young man. Being a history buff Allen had a joy for storytelling and would regale anyone who would listen with stories about both history and his own life. He was a man who loved sharing his zest for life with others and, above all, he loved his family dearly.
To mark his passing there will be a small memorial service for Allen on March 1, 2014 at his daughter Tess’ home in Issaquah, Washington. Later in the spring the family also plans to hold a gathering in West Wendover, Nevada to celebrate his life before spreading his ashes.