Loren D. Jones 1957-2023 Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Loren David Jones, 66, of Prior Lake, MN, passed away as the result of a gyrocopter accident on October 8, 2023 in St. Peter, MN.
Loren was born on May 8, 1957 to Jerral and Marilyn Jones in Sleepy Eye, MN. He grew up in Pine City, MN and Fargo, ND. After graduating from Fargo South High School, class of 1975, Loren served in the Air National Guard. He then attended both North Dakota State University, obtaining a degree in Political Science and Business in 1979, and the University of North Dakota graduating with his Juris Doctor Law Degree in 1982.
A man of many interests, Loren immersed himself in various professions and hobbies throughout his life, including aviation, technology, photography, and law. Having a fascination with flight since the age of three, he pursued his pilot’s license while in college and became a Certified Flight Instructor in 1980. After college, he started his own law practice in Fargo, focusing on family law and also founded RBBS PC of Fargo, a company that specialized in remote bulletin board systems. In 1986, he married Gail Axtman of Devils Lake, ND, and moved to La Grange Park, IL shortly thereafter. Loren started working at Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent Law School teaching computer technology in law. He eventually began consulting for major law firms across the United States.
In 1992, Loren and Gail welcomed their son Ariston (AJ) Jones while still living in Illinois. Becoming a father gave Loren an entirely new purpose in life. It brought him so much joy to share his passions for aviation and photography with his son.
In 1995, the family moved to Prior Lake, MN where Loren started working for West Group, a technology business development company. He was a member of Prior Lake Rotary Club and involved with Prior Lake Association. He was with West Group until 2004 when he decided to make his first of two major career changes. At that time, Loren started Prior Creative Images, a photography business specializing in weddings, family, and senior portraits. His passion for photography started early in life. At the age of 17, Loren was admitted into the Minnesota and North Dakota Professional Photographers Association with his business, LDJ Studio of Photography - an honor rarely accomplished by someone of that age. Prior Creative Images continued to be a side business for Loren and Gail up until his death.
Loren’s second major career change had him flying 30,000 feet in the sky. His desire for flight took on wings when he bought his first airplane in the early 80’s. Throughout his life, he owned multiple planes, including a Mooney and a hot air balloon. He flew gliders, seaplanes, took helicopter lessons, and eventually built his own gyrocopter. On May 25, 2006 Loren and his friend, Gary Schettl, set a world record by flying a single engine plane that Schettl built from Minneapolis to Martha’s Vineyard in 6 hours, 6 minutes, and 40 seconds. The 1,250-mile journey was a lifelong goal that no pilot of a plane in the same weight class had ever achieved. While his son, AJ was in high school, Loren was a flight instructor with Hummingbird Aviation and went on to start MN Aviation Proficiency, LLC in 2012. AJ obtained his private pilot’s license after graduating high school under the instruction of his dad, a pride and joy moment for Loren.
In 2015, SkyWest Airlines hired Loren as a commercial pilot; he loved being able to increase his flight knowledge of larger aircraft. Loren flew commercial for several years and continued flight instruction at AV8 Flight School in Eden Prairie, MN. He had over 10,000 hours of flight experience. Over 5,000 of those were spent sharing his passion for flight with aspiring pilots. A flight simulator instructor position with CAE SimuFlite became available in 2021, and with a passion for teaching and learning, it was a natural next job for a man who could not get enough of the aviation world. Loren was currently training to get certified for the Boeing 737 simulator.
This past summer Loren realized his long-time dream of building his own aircraft, a single seat gyrocopter (GT-VX2). He attended the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Air Show, and won Reserve Grand Champion, and 1st Place for Modern Single Place at the Mentone Popular Rotorcraft Association Convention. He said often that flying the gyrocopter was the most fun he has had in an aircraft. It brought him so much joy to meet people interested in these types of aircraft and to explore the world from the above.
Loren was also a life-long member of the Assemblies of God church and a believer in Jesus Christ. He served as a member of the board at his local church and was involved on the security team. We know that he is celebrating his life in heaven, connecting with loved ones who went before him, and watching over his family. He was looking forward to becoming a first-time grandpa in early 2024 and will be incredibly missed by all who knew him. If one thing is for certain, he lived a very full life.
Loren is survived by his wife of 36 years, Gail, his son Ariston (Sarah), his brothers Jerry (Jean) and Ken Jones, along with numerous brothers and sisters-in-law, and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jerral and Marilyn, and his father-in-law, Clifford Axtman.
Visitation was held on Friday, Oct. 20 from 5-6:30 pm, with a prayer service at 6:30 pm at West Funeral Home, West Fargo, ND. The funeral service was held on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 2:00 pm also at the West Funeral Home. The service was recorded and posted on the funeral home’s website.
A memorial visitation will be Friday, Oct. 27 at AV8 Flight School, Flying Cloud Airport, 13601 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie, MN from 3-6:00 pm, with a Celebration of Life Program at 4:30.