Edward 'Ted' Jones may not get his wish of just one page of tributes at his memorial service on Tuesday, but he'll definitely get his requested menu for the wake.
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The long-time Mount Keira Rural Fire Brigade member was 84 years old when died on April 30 following a battle with cancer.
Mr Jones was married to Joan and they had two children - Linda and Don - six grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
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Years ago, during a two-hour long funeral of a friend, he told his son "when I go I want one piece of paper, 15 minutes and then I'll be a puff of smoke over Berkeley".
The comment almost resulted in Mrs Jones throwing them out for laughing, but it was a reflection of the man.
Mr Jones was a humble, no fuss, practical kind of guy, who in his decades with the RFS fought fires, trained and mentored the next generation of firefighters.
"Ted was a great friend and confidant and a great mentor, he really was. Everybody loved him," long-time friend and fellow Mount Keira RFS member Philip Robertson said.
"He was the steadying hand and the older figure that held everyone together. He always was thinking of other people."
Mr Jones joined the brigade in 1969 after the disastrous fires of 1968 swept over the escarpment.
Since then, he gave countless hours of service and held almost all the positions in the brigade, including captain. In 1988, he was the first member of the brigade to be given life membership.
He fought fires across the Illawarra and further afield, and during the 1994 bushfire emergency was photographed by the media in a picture that would make him a global sensation.
The photo of his ash-smeared face became synonymous with the devastating blaze, and was even used by Telecom for a series of phonecards. All these years later his brigade friends still chuckle at the real reason his face was smeared with ash.
Mr Jones' local knowledge was vital in helping to keep Illawarra's residents safe during bushfire emergencies, and during debriefs after a blaze he was well-known for sneaking all the Scotch finger biscuits out of the pack for himself.
To his family, Mr Jones was a sport-loving father and husband who adored his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
An electrician by trade, Mr Jones worked at the steelworks for years, often tinkering at home with his own projects.
Don remembers his father teaching him handy skills when he was young, "he'd say 'over here and watch me pour this concrete' and the next minute you find out you're pouring concrete".
His other great love was trains - real size and model ones - and family trips often had a compulsory visit to a rail yard or museum.
"We'd go for a drive and have our picnics in a rail yard," Don remembers.
It might be hard to sum up Mr Jones in a one-page tribute as he wanted at this memorial, but Don said his other instructions of party pies, sausage rolls, lamingtons and Scotch finger biscuits for guests at his wake will be done.
The memorial service for Mr Jones is on at 2pm on Tuesday, May 9 at H.Parsons Funeral Home 4 Princes Highway, Dapto.
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Nadine Morton
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Nadine Morton covers emergency services and breaking news for the Illawarra Mercury. She takes pride in regional journalism which she believes is crucial to informing our towns and cities. Have a story? Email her at nadine.morton@austcommunitymedia.com.au
