Randall L. Jones *71

Randall Jones, professor emeritus of German at Brigham Young University (BYU), died Jan. 30, 2016, of respiratory failure, at age 76.

Enrolling at BYU in 1957, he left in 1959 to serve a 2.5-year Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission in Germany. Upon returning, he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963, and a master’s degree in 1965, both in German. In 1971, he earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from Princeton.

Jones was a Cornell faculty member for eight years and then for several years was director of proficiency testing at the CIA Language School in Washington, D.C., before joining the BYU German faculty. He taught German at BYU for 26 years, also serving as director of the Humanities Research Center, dean of the College of Humanities, and associate chair of the Department of German and Slavic languages.

He served in many church callings through the years, including bishop of the Foreign Language BYU Student Ward, and as a senior missionary, with his wife, to Germany. In his retirement, Jones and his wife remodeled their house and made it their dream home, which they shared with family and friends.

Jones is survived by his wife, Janet; four children; 18 grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren. A son predeceased him.

Graduate memorials are prepared by the APGA.