The passing of Clifford Voller Jones of Fredericton, New Brunswick, beloved husband of the late JoAnn Voller Jones occurred on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital. He was born June 8th, 1931, to the late Ivy and Clifford Voller Jones of Salisbury, England. Clifford\'s father was an entrepreneur in the city of Salisbury but had formally worked for many years for the Cunard Steamship Company. He cautioned his son not to go to sea but at the age of sixteen, young Clifford went off to Sea School. Thus began a love affair with the sea and of telling stories of his adventures around the world; tales his family and friends never tired of hearing. From 1948 to 1955, Cunard liners ferried the war brides to North America. At one point, there were 3000 women and thousands of children on board. The latter kept the stewards run ragged and the means of disciplining the rascals were often quite inventive. It was inevitable that Clifford would meet the love of his life aboard ship when JoAnn, his future wife, was traveling to England. He remembered what his father had once said that life on the sea and marriage don\'t mix, so he immigrated to JoAnn\'s hometown of Montreal. He began his new career at the Royal Victoria Hospital where he managed food operations. Later, he moved to Fredericton to manage food services at the University of New Brunswick; now at home in the Maritimes he never looked back. When the Eden Rock Motel was built on Forest Hill, Cliff met another challenge as general manager for his employer Reuben Cohen of Moncton. He had the opportunity to guide the operation through its growing pains and stayed until the Motel was sold. The restaurant had a noon buffet and Cliff often referred to the \"round table\" meetings which he regularly attended with his favorite patrons, the road builders. He got along so well with them that they elected Cliff president of the City Club, another favorite watering hole. It wasn\'t all play being a motel manager; Cliff was one of the founders of the Hotel-Motel Association of New Brunswick and served on its executive for years. In this capacity, he traveled the province and knew every hotelier personally and mentored them wisely. Cliff\'s next professional move was to the newly established Mactaquac Lodge. He was contracted to take over the food operation, then an ambitious gourmet restaurant. About this time, the provincial government had established the Department of Tourism. They were looking for personnel to oversee the Parks and Recreation facilities as well as motels and bed and breakfasts. Cliff was ideally suited to this task; once again, he was on the road in the picture province he loved. Nothing pleased him more than taking a van load of college kids around the province for summer job training. Clifford\'s English accent and dry wit made the miles click by. After retiring from the Department of Tourism, Clifford became an avid supporter of Stepping Stones, where he made many new and enduring friendships. He served on several committees, and also assumed the organization\'s presidency for a number of terms. He is survived by his sisters Mary (Colin) Sexton and Betty Robson and nephews Mathew, Rupert, Howard, and Andrew all residing in England. He was predeceased by Olga (Bob) Jones. His adopted family in Fredericton is Sue and Simon Caron and sons Andrew and Nicholas. He will be missed by many close friends including Yvonne Vaughan, her daughter Mary Ellen, who stole his heart at an early age, and all her family members. Special thanks are extended to JoAnn\'s nephew Bryan Cheesman and his wife Debbie, who have been so supportive over the years.
The family will receive condolences at Bishop\'s Funeral Home, 540 Woodstock Road, Fredericton on Sunday, March 14 from 2:00-4:00 and 7:00-9:00 PM. The funeral mass will be held at St. Dunstan\'s Catholic Church on Monday, March 15 at 12 noon. Donations to the Kidney Foundation or a charity of the donor\'s choice in memory of Clifford Jones would be appreciated in lieu of flowers. Online condolences may be expressed through www.bishopsfuneralhome.com