Eldon D. Jones

Eldon David Jones, age 90, of Lake Crystal, died Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at Hillcrest Health Care Center, Mankato.

A Service Celebrating Eldon’s Life will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday at Cornerstone UMC, Lake Crystal, with Rev. Debbie King Quale, officiating. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. Friday at the church and will continue one hour before service on Saturday. Private family interment will be in Lake Crystal Cemetery. Lake Crystal Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Cornerstone UMC Building Fund.

Eldon was born April 23, 1925 to Owen and Martha (High) Jones in New Ulm. He attended grade school in Judson through the eighth grade and graduated from Lake Crystal High in 1943. He was baptized and confirmed at Jerusalem Presbyterian Church, rural Lake Crystal. Eldon served his country with the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater with the 35th Infantry with the first Occupation Forces in Japan. Eldon was united in marriage to Helen C. Leffler on May 31, 1953 at the First United Methodist Church, Lake Crystal. Eldon farmed, raising crops, steers, and hogs. Always an inventor and wanting to find a better ways to do things, he built a farm wagon hoist the “Lo-Boy” and patented it in 1960. Eldon and Helen began Lake Crystal Farm Equipment in 1967 which became Crysteel Manufacturing Inc. in 1969, producing truck hoists for sale worldwide. Eldon was a longtime member of the First United Methodist Church where he served as a stewardship chairperson. He was a founding member and past president of the Lake Crystal Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Lake Crystal Lions, and was instrumental in attracting new business to Lake Crystal thru the Lake Crystal Economic Development Program. In 1995 Eldon and Helen offered a challenge grant to the community of Lake Crystal, which resulted in the construction of the Lake Crystal Area Recreation Center. Eldon enjoyed his family and fixing anything.

Eldon is survived by his wife of 62 ½ years, Helen; his children, Margaret (Bruce Nowlin) Jones of Lake Crystal, Patricia Jones of Mankato, Peter (Jan) Jones of Le Sueur, Carolyn (David) Clause of Mankato, Barbara (Kevin) Dorn of Nicollet; grandchildren, Gretchen (Alex Anderson) Alms of Lake Crystal, Lauren Alms of Mankato, Zachary Alms of Lake Crystal, Erin (Barclay) Roeder of Anchorage, AK, Kasey (Frank Michael) Jones of Maplewood, Garrett (Caroline) Clause of Minneapolis, Cameron Clause of Iowa City, IA, Caitlin Clause of Mankato, Evan Guffey of Nicollet, Tessa Guffey of Nicollet; great grandchildren, Daphne Roeder and Hestia Michael; sister Elvira Epp and daughter, Gloria Jeanne of Lake Crystal; brother-in-law and children, Lynnis Von Ohlen of Clarkston, WA; sister-in-law and children, Ann Roberts of Tucson, AZ; many step-grandchildren; step-great grandchildren; cousins, and friends.

Eldon was preceded in death by his parents, Owen and Martha Jones; parents-in-law, Ray and Pearl Leffler; sister, Ardella Von Ohlen; daughter-in-law, Nancy Jones; and grandson, William Owen Jones.