Howard E. Jones, 93, of Lombard, a longtime employee of the Burlington Northern Railroad, died Tuesday, Jan. 16, in Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. Mr. Jones retired after 45 years of employment with the Burlington Northern Railroad, as the company’s advertising manager. A resident of the Beacon Hill Retirement Community in Lombard for the last 12 years, Mr. Jones previously lived in Downers Grove for 23 years and Berwyn before then. He was born in Chillicothe, Mo., and was the son of a railroad worker. His rail career began when he was hired as a travel tour director accompanying groups on train trips to major U.S. cities. “He had great fun doing that job, and it was always his first love,” said his daughter, Vivian Hida. “He was a people person and really enjoyed visiting new places.” Soon after the start of World War II, Mr. Jones was made a schedule coordinator for the railroad, helping to arrange troop movements around the country. “He was in charge of a great deal of paperwork at that time,” said Hida. “It took an organized, detail-oriented person to handle that job.” He had been active in the Boy Scouts in the Berwyn area, where he was a troop leader and a district commissioner. He was honored with the Silver Beaver Award for his work with the Scouts. Mr. Jones was an amateur radio operator. “His father worked as a Morse code operator for the Wabash Railroad and that sort of sparked his interest in that form of communication,” said Hida. Other survivors include a brother, Raymond, and two grandchildren. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Beacon Hill Retirement Community, 2400 Finley Rd., Lombard.
