Robert Joseph Jones of Lawrenceville, NJ died peacefully at home on July 5, 2012. He was 84 years old. He is survived by his wife Alice, his children; Peter (of San Francisco, CA), Anne (of New York City) and Susan (of Oakland, CA) and 6 grandchildren.
Originally from Lakewood, Ohio, Robert served in the US Army during the Korean Occupation and applied the GI Bill to graduate with a B.A. in English literature from Kent State University. He earned an M.A. from the Breadloaf School of English at Middlebury College in Vermont. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s Robert taught high school English at Grand River Academy, the University School and the Hawken School in Ohio. In 1965, he took his young family to Japan, where he served as a Fulbright scholar, teaching English as a foreign language at the University of Tottori. Upon return from Japan in 1967, Robert and his family moved to New Jersey where he joined the Educational Testing Service, eventually rising to chair the Department of Humanities where he oversaw both the Advanced Placement English exam and the SAT verbal test.
Robert enjoyed singing as a bass in the Princeton Pro Musica choral group and served as its treasurer during the 1980’s. As a member of the choir, he performed twice at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Robert was an avid traveler, and during his lifetime visited many countries, including England, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, Pitcairn Island, Antarctica and the Artic, the Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Greece and Norway. He was particularly fond of traveling on ships and on different voyages, passed through both the Suez and Panama Canals and crossed the Drake Passage.
Robert will be deeply missed by his family and friends – most notably for his depth of knowledge on literature, classical music and jazz, as well as his sharp wit and progressive sense of the world, which stuck with him to the end.
We would like to thank Compassionate Care Hospice for helping us to make it possible for Robert to be home during his final days. All of the people associated with this organization were kind, thoughtful, sensitive and supportive.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of the following organizations: Princeton Pro Musica (www.princetonpromusica.org) or Covenant House (www.covenanthouse.org). Both of these institutions were ones that RJ supported in his lifetime.
A memorial service will be scheduled during the fall holidays.
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