Robert "Bob" Bruce Jones

Robert Bruce “Bob” Jones, beloved husband of the late Tamara Suzanne “Sue” Jones, cherished father, grandfather, brother, friend and longtime community leader, peacefully passed away on March 20, 2025, surrounded by his devoted family. He was 86.
 
Bob was a proud 57-year resident of Cadillac, Michigan, though he recently lived in Rockford, Michigan. Born on June 10, 1938, in Bay City, Michigan, he was the son of William A. Jones V and Delena (Rabidoux) Jones. From a young age, Bob’s life was intertwined with the Catholic faith — baptized as an infant, he attended St. Joseph High School in Bay City and even spent his senior year at the Maryknoll Catholic seminary in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, initially aspiring to the priesthood.
 
It was during a summer at Higgins Lake in northern Michigan that fate intervened. Bob met “Sue,” the brown-eyed Homecoming Queen who captured his heart. In a display of youthful daring and determination, he swam three miles across Higgins Lake, with Sue’s brother Jamie rowing alongside him, to impress her — a moment that would change the course of his life. Soon after, Bob set aside his seminary studies to pursue a different path.
 
His academic journey continued at Bay City Junior College, where he earned membership in the Honor Society. He later enrolled at Michigan State University and studied journalism, though it wasn’t long before he set off to explore opportunities elsewhere. A brief stint in the army at Fort Ord in Monterey, California, an honorable discharge and a successful but short experiment in life insurance sales in San Jose followed, until homesickness drew him back to Michigan. Embracing a new chapter at Michigan State, Bob joined Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, excelling in both athletics and academics. He graduated in the spring of 1962 and married Sue in Owosso, Michigan on October 13, 1962.
 
Their first home, nestled in Essexville near Bay City, marked the beginning of a life filled with promise. Bob founded Michigan Enterprises, with his sister, Sandy, serving as his secretary, and built a relationship with the Eastern Michigan Tourist Association so that he could promote business and tourism in the small towns along Michigan’s northeastern coast. Later, a move to Grand Rapids saw Bob managing public relations for the Grand Rapids Furniture Association and welcoming their first child, Robert Jr.
 
A chance meeting in the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce with a young Jack Toepp who would later become a state senator for Cadillac led him to the Hastings Chamber of Commerce, where he assumed the role of manager just as his family grew with the arrival of their daughter Debbie. Yet, his heart longed for northern Michigan, the region where he had first fallen in love with Sue. Accepting a position at the Chamber of Commerce in Cadillac — an area he had come to know while helping his father years before with one of his clients, Mercy Hospital. The next 25 years saw Bob working tirelessly to attract new jobs, business, and tourism to Cadillac.
 
In 1966, Bob conceived an ambitious project: bringing a caravan of Airstream travel trailer owners from around North America to Cadillac. It attracted nearly 3,000 trailers and 10,000 visitors from the United States, Canada, and Mexico and doubled the size of Cadillac for more than a week. He went on to organize “snow trains” that brought snowmobilers from downstate to Cadillac via the railway, helped the Four Winns boat company rebound from a catastrophic fire, and recruited numerous manufacturers to Cadillac to provide jobs for area families.
 
Ever the innovator, he also embraced a pressing local challenge — affordable housing. When a prominent company struggled to find suitable accommodations for a new manager, Bob, encouraged by his Chamber colleagues, took on the responsibility of operating a rental home near St. Ann’s Catholic Church. In the following decades, together with Sue and other community leaders such as John Laurent and Ben Porter, he converted ten large homes into multi-unit apartments, compassionately providing housing for more than 1,000 individuals from every walk of life. Through one of his businesses, HomeWay, Bob even enabled home- bound tenants to assemble auto parts as a means of earning extra income.
 
Bob’s commitment to the community extended beyond commerce. Deeply moved by the struggles of local factory workers, he met with company owners to advocate for fair wages, securing significant pay increases for hundreds of employees. His generosity and caring nature were also evident in his volunteer work at St. Ann’s Church, where he served as a lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and choir member, nurturing the spiritual life of the community and his own family—the last of his children, Amy and Cindy, were born at Mercy Hospital and all attended St. Ann elementary school.
 
A devoted family man, Bob not only imparted wisdom through his work but also through his love of sport and community. He co-founded CASA, a local youth sports organization, and coached numerous baseball teams, leaving a lasting legacy among the region’s young athletes.
 
In 1991, Bob revived Michigan Enterprises to become the first private firm in Michigan to manage a municipality — McBain. His innovative spirit shone brightly in a Detroit Free Press feature where he confidently declared, “If I screw up, I’m out of here.” That wouldn’t be a problem, though, as he earned multiple contract extensions through his groundbreaking work which included transforming a long- vacant downtown building into the vibrant Professional Building alongside trusted partners like Tom Schepers. One of the first tenants Bob recruited for that building in a nationwide search was Dr. Jeff Gischia who had just graduated from chiropractic school in Iowa. Dr. Gischia has kept his office there for 31 years, and fittingly, his wife, Debbi, is now the Liturgical and Musical Director for St. Ann and helped Bob’s children select the songs for Bob’s funeral mass. While Bob was helping bring new jobs to McBain, he was simultaneously spearheading economic development efforts in Kalkaska, Michigan and Lincoln, Michigan with the support of Sue. Bob capped his career with a series of pioneering ventures that included helping to expand the creation of wind power in northern Michigan (working with Marty Lagina, co-creator of the History Channel show, The Curse Of Oak Island) and putting the complex land and energy deals together for hydroponic greenhouses built by North America’s largest family- owned tomato grower. His relentless drive saw him traveling across the nation into his late 70s in search of new opportunities, always fueled by his passion for progress. Over the decades, Bob likely helped create as many jobs in northern Michigan as any one individual.
 
Yet, amid a life rich with professional triumphs, Bob found his greatest joy in his family. With his children and grandchildren, he delighted in building snow forts, sailing his Butterfly on Lake Cadillac, attending Detroit Tigers baseball games and playing his harmonica. A consummate storyteller, he will be remembered for his humor, compassion, and inexhaustible spirit.
 
Bob is survived by his children: Robert B. (Denise) Dorigo Jones, Debbie (Jeff) Kronstain, Amy (Todd) Oatley, and Cindy (Matt) Johnson; as well as nine grandchildren — Bobby (Caitlin) Dorigo Jones, Johnny Dorigo Jones, Stella Kronstain, Nathan Oatley, Nicholas Oatley, Madeline Oatley, Olivia Johnson, Isabella Johnson, and Elena Johnson; his siblings, William A. Jones (Marion), Sandi Miller and Sharon (Ron) Pike. He also leaves behind the countless former tenants whom Bob and Sue embraced as family for over four decades. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Sue; his parents; and Sue's parents. 

A man of deep Catholic faith, Bob derived inner strength from the Eucharist and his daily devotion to the rosary. He entered eternal life on the day after the feast of St. Joseph, patron saint of fathers and real estate.
 
Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 10, at Hitesman-Holdship Funeral Home in Cadillac. Friends may meet the family from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and a Rosary will be prayed at 6:30 PM at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Friday, April 11, 2025, at St. Ann Catholic Church, located at 800 West Thirteenth Street in Cadillac, with Pastor Michael Jankowski officiating. Bob will lie in state at St. Ann from 10:00 to 11:00 AM prior to the service. Following Mass, the family invites friends to join them for a luncheon reception provided in the church social hall. Burial will take place at Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery after the reception.
 
The family extends their heartfelt thanks to the compassionate team at StoryPoint Rockford and to Faith Hospice, whose support, including music therapy arranged by a young lady who took the time to learn a song Bob loved to sing while picking blueberries at Higgins Lake with his family, brought comfort during his final days.
 
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that memorial contributions be made to Faith Hospice or MaryKnoll Fathers and Brothers.  An online guestbook is available at www.holdshipfuneralhomes.com to honor Bob’s memory.
 
Bob’s life was a testament to hard work, ingenuity, and unwavering kindness — a legacy that will continue to inspire all who had the privilege of knowing him.

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