Craig Bissell Jones

Craig Bissell Jones of Urbandale died Friday at Iowa Methodist Hospital after suffering a heart attack Tuesday. Services will be held on Tuesday, November 25, 2014 at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Urbandale at 11:00 am. Family will greet friends beginning at 9:00 am at the church.

Craig held many titles throughout his life: father, friend, husband, banker, President (of Cay Donnell Enterprises and the Urbandale Chamber of Commerce) but the title he most cherished was Pop-Pop. His 7 grandchildren were the center of his life and he loved to chuckle about how often the “Pop-Pop Taxi” was called into service to drive grandchildren to and fro.

Born to Leslie and Catherine (Cay) Jones in De Soto, MO, Craig graduated from De Soto High, Westminster College, and earned his MBA from Michigan State. He was an ROTC cadet and joined the Army, earning the rank of 1st lieutenant and serving active duty in Germany during the Vietnam Era. He married his college sweetheart Sara (Sallie) Zibell in Kaiserslautern Germany on September 6, 1968.

Upon returning to civilian life Craig began his banking career at 1st National Bank of St. Paul, Minnesota. He and Sallie raised sons, Adam and Peter and daughter, Kate there until moving in 1986 to Urbandale. His work at Iowa banks included First Interstate, Norwest, and he was a co-founder of the Waukee State Bank. Though retired from banking, he still worked as a banking consultant, predominantly for South Story Bank, and as an expert witness in banking and finance in the court system.

Craig was a champion of the community through his involvement with the Chamber of Commerce and St. Stephen Lutheran Church. He supported his children’s involvement in sports and the Arts as an assistant football coach, Treasurer of the Urbandale Performing Arts Booster Club, and proud spectator with near-perfect attendance at his children’s and grandchildren’s countless basketball games, football games, swim meets, soccer matches, concerts, and plays.

Craig was someone who enjoyed chatting with anyone he met, and usually could find something, or someone, in common with anyone within minutes of meeting them. He likely remembered each and every one of his clients and even discovered that some of his doctors at the hospital had been trained by former banking clients of many years ago.

Craig is survived by his wife, Sallie; sons, Adam and Peter (Jamie); and daughter, Kate (Andrew) Young, al of Des Moines; sister, Catherine Lee of Columbia, Missouri; sister-in-law, Doris Jones of Atlanta; Patrick Lee of Ashland, Missouri; aunt Marjorie and uncle David Raker of St. Louis; beloved nieces and nephews from Missouri, North Carolina, and Georgia; and his grandchildren: Tanner and Quinlan Craig Jones, Theodore, Abiel and Elliana Young, and Keifer and Harper Jones. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Kirk and Jessie Jones, and Dorothy Wilson Jones from Desoto, MO; his parents, Cay and Les Jones; and his brother, Bruce Jones.

Memorial contributions may be made to Urbandale Caring Corps or Friends of the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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