Letter:
Leonard Jones (1956-2014)

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is with much sadness that we learned that Leonard Jones passed away on opening day at Lake Sutherland near Ramona on Saturday, March 1. Leonard was out doing one of the things that he truly loved, fishing.

Leonard worked at The Scripps Research Institute for 14 years having just retired due to health reasons. He worked in Facilities as a maintenance mechanic first in the Skaggs/Molecular Biology building before moving over to the Beckman and Stein buildings. Leonard worked diligently to keep them in tip top shape. He could be found daily running around the buildings performing preventative maintenance and answering emergency calls to labs and offices. Whether you needed a light bulb changed, a leak repaired, something custom built or a piece of equipment moved, Leonard would complete the task, always above and beyond. He truly loved his work although he wouldn’t admit it, but you could sometimes catch a quick glimpse of a smile when he finished an especially tough challenge. Before coming to TSRI, Leonard worked in the printed circuit board industry at Dirava Electronics, Dibble Electronics, Tex Engineering and Moore Printed Circuits.

Leonard grew up in Santee and was an avid fisherman his entire life. His favorite things were to be with his family, trying to catch a record-breaking bass, riding his motorcycle or just being outdoors. Leonard and his family were part of the TSRI softball team for many years, winning several championships.

Leonard lost his beloved wife, Candi, in 2011 and is survived by his two sons, Joshua and Jeremy. A private memorial service is being planned at the time of this publication, however, a remembrance gathering of TSRI friends is being held Friday, March 14 at 4 PM in the Beckman Atrium.

A great Snapshot of Leonard can be found in our News&Views archives at https://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20020729/jones.html

A Tribute page has been set up for Leonard at https://www.scripps.edu/tribute/home/tribute_page?id=167

We will remember Leonard for his hard work, craftsmanship and dry humor. He will be greatly missed.

Sincerely,

Mishelle McClanahan-Shinn
Taylor Cohen
Tanya Gresham

Send comments to: press[at]scripps.edu