Ronald Crater Jones

Dr. Ron Jones

May 13, 1937 - March 13, 2026

It is with great sorrow we mourn the passing of Dr. Ronald "Ron" Crater Jones, 88, following complications of a fall. He was surrounded by family in his final moments.

Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1937 to Thomas and Maureen (née Crater), Jones was a 1955 graduate of Highland High School. It was there that he met his future wife, Mada Swayze, in orchestra class. They married in 1957.

Jones received his bachelor's degree from the University of New Mexico two years later and went on to complete his master's degree in chemical engineering at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville after first working for US Steel in Gary, Indiana. Jones returned to New Mexico to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for nine years before changing to a career he would embrace until retirement: dentistry. He graduated in 1971 from the Baylor School of Dentistry in Dallas, Texas with this Doctorate in Dental Science and served as an oral surgery instructor for one year. He returned to Los Alamos in 1976 to open his own dental practice, ably assisted at the front desk by wife Mada.

For over 26 years, Jones was a cornerstone of the local dental community, known for his caring and welcoming practice. As an active member of the Los Alamos community, Jones was a member of the First United Methodist Church, the Lions Club, and the Masonic Lodge. He also assisted local Boy Scout troops on rafting trips. Jones was an accomplished violinist, but preferred "fiddler" for the toe-tapping Cajun music he enjoyed so much. He was called upon more than once to play the fiddle in Los Alamos Little Theater productions.

Jones started his day with Oreos for breakfast. He spent many hours as a ski instructor on Pajarito Mountain and many afternoons rooting for the Dallas Cowboys. He was a collector of "everything," and enjoyed welding, just one of his many hobbies.

Jones is pre-deceased by his parents and daughter Ronda. He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years, Mada; by his daughter Catherine (Randy) Montoya of Albuquerque; granddaughters Laura Ashton (Ryan) of Albuquerque, Amanda Zeitler (George) of Los Angeles, and Natalie (Taylor) Tremblay of Los Alamos and three great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law Jeanine Lueke of Raleigh, NC.