Stephen Rowe Jones

Stephen Rowe Jones

After a long, well-fought battle with multiple health issues, Stephen died peacefully at home April 19, 2022 at age 71.

Stephen grew up in Darien, Connecticut and graduated from Darien High School. After receiving his B.A. in English and Government at Franklin and Marshall College, he earned a Master’s degree in International Studies from American University and a JD from AU’s Washington College of Law. He served over 30 years as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor in the divisions of Employment and Training and Occupational Safety and Health.

Stephen was an avid reader of history and literature, a dedicated runner and tennis player, a passionate birder and he loved to travel. He completed multiple marathons starting at age 47, including 5 Boston marathons. He shared his knowledge of birds as a volunteer bird walk leader for the Audubon Naturalist Society where he was also a Water Quality Monitor. He loved spending time with family and adored his two young grandsons. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of a wide range of subjects, had a very dry sense of humor, and was a wonderful storyteller.

Stephen is survived by his wife of 40 years, Elizabeth Blair Jones of Bethesda, daughters Eliza Jones (Patrick Rafeedie) of Silver Spring and Katherine Jones (Brian Greeley) of Vancouver, and grandsons Aiden and Finn of Silver Spring. He is also survived by his mother, Evelyn Rowe Jones of Springfield, VA, his brothers Edwin H. Jones, III of Southbury, CT and Bruce Jones of Bowdoin, ME, and his sister Sherrill Edwards of Vienna, VA. He was preceded in death by his father Edwin H. Jones, Jr.

Plans are being made for a private memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Stephen’s memory may be made to The Cornell Lab of Ornithology (birds.cornell.edu/home/give) or the Audubon Naturalist Society (ANShome.org/donate).