Richard John Jones, 76, of Cape Coral, Florida, passed away on Sept. 6, 2026, at 2:30 a.m. at Cape Coral Hospital. 

Richard was born on Feb. 18, 1950, in Framingham, Massachusetts, to Francis and Mary Jones. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Elizabeth Jones, his sons, Ryan, Dustin and Andrew Jones, his grandchildren McKinley, Felix, and Marigold Jones, as well as his brother Frank Jones, and sisters Eileen Jones-Shaw and Debbie Moore. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Mary. 

Richard graduated from Nasson College in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Richard, lovingly referred to as Dick or Duck by family and friends, spent most of his life working in the outdoor industry. He enjoyed working at ski shops until getting into retail at Eastern Mountain Sports in 1978. Later, in 1991, Richard became vice president of The Rugged Bear, an outerwear company for children, where he spent the next 19 years. 

In 1985, Richard met Elizabeth Cutter at a mutual friend’s anniversary party at Squam Lake, nestled in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. The two were married on March 23, 1986, and had three wonderful sons; Ryan, Dustin, and Andrew. Richard and Elizabeth raised their boys in Southern New Hampshire, where their home was filled with the warmth and love of countless friends and family. Richard always made time to attend his kids’ sporting events, and even coached their little league and soccer teams on more than a handful of occasions.

 In the winter months, he and Elizabeth would load up the boys and take off to ski slopes. Summer days were spent on Squam, and the evenings were filled with Beach Boys tunes and family dance parties in the living room. 

Richard and Elizabeth moved to Southwest Florida in 2011 after all of the kids finished high school, where he settled into semi-retirement and worked at Hunters Run golf course. He enjoyed weekly golf get togethers with friends, beach excursions to Sanibel and Captiva and a cold house Chardonnay. However, one of his favorite pleasures during his golden years was to take Elizabeth for “toodles” in their little Boston Whaler, leisurely navigating the Cape Coral Canals to the Caloosahatchee River to watch the sun go down. 

There’s no shortage of stories chronicling the adventures of Richard Jones, which he loved to share with family and friends around the dinner table as well as with complete strangers over a beer at the bar. He was a lover of animals, having taken in cats, dogs, guinea pigs, a parakeet and even a geriatric ferret over the years. Richard was quick with a joke, but also deeply sentimental. For as long as his family can remember, he kept nearly every card he received from birthdays, anniversaries, the holidays and more. 

For family and friends, Richard’s absence will be felt every day. And though he will be greatly missed, those who knew him well can confidently say their lives are in many ways better having befriended Richard Jones. He was proud to call himself a loving husband and father, and for many, a lifelong friend. 

A celebration of life will be held in Holderness, New Hampshire on October 11, and funeral services will be held on Oct. 12, in Hillsboro, New Hampshire, where he will be laid to rest with members of Elizabeth’s family.