WASHINGTON, Mo. — Roger Lee Jones, a longtime motorcoach operator remembered for helping fellow operators and their passengers through difficult situations, died Sept. 22. He was 81, according to his obituary.
Jones was president of Mid-American Coaches, working alongside his brother Dennis, the company’s vice president. Their father, Ralph Jones, purchased the Washington-based business in 1957. The company was a member of the International Motorcoach Group (IMG).
Mid-American takes groups on bus trips and tours across the United States and Canada.
Dennis Streif, owner of Vandalia Bus Lines Inc. in Caseyville, Illinois, said his family has known the Jones family for about 50 years.
“We always helped each other out. We never stepped on each other’s toes with competition. Just a good cordial relationship,” Streif said. Roger helped Vandalia join IMG in 2000.
Jones described his philosophy in a May/June 2001 Busline profile.
“Whenever another motorcoach company is having trouble in our area, if they call, we will jump,” Jones told the magazine. “We know what it’s like to have a bus with troubles on a Saturday night when you are hundreds of miles from home.”
Willing to lend a hand
Loren Jones, who ran Northwest Iowa Transportation, knows how willing Roger was to help. They became friends after meeting at a training session about the Americans with Disabilities Act. Roger helped Loren’s company join IMG in 1998.
“Anytime I needed mechanical assistance, all I had to do was call,” Loren Jones recalled. “I had instant help … a coach to sub for us while their mechanics were getting our bus going.”
Often, Roger himself drove the replacement coach, Loren said.
Roger’s help was especially important on Sept. 11, 2001. Loren had a tour group flying through St. Louis on its way to New York. The group planned to have dinner at the top of the World Trade Center that evening.
Knowing flights would likely be stopped, Loren called Roger. Within minutes, Roger sent a bus and told the tour leader where to find it. Loren sent another bus from Iowa to meet the group halfway.
“We had a plan before the group knew they needed it,” Loren said. The passengers were safely home by 9 p.m.
Roger and Dennis sold the company to the Hoffmann Family of Companies in April 2021. Loren said the sale began with Roger’s longtime friendship with Gary Hoffmann, David Hoffmann’s brother.
Roger and Gary had been high school friends and basketball teammates. Conversations began after Hoffmann started parking trolleys used for winery tours and events at Mid-American.
Roger marked his retirement with the company’s crew at the end of 2022, writing that he was humbled by their recognition and the well wishes that followed.
“Your response means very much to me,” he said.
According to Loren, Roger fully retired in 2024 after suffering a brain bleed. He and his wife, Michele, had moved to a smaller home and were enjoying retirement together.
Jones is survived by his wife, Michele; his children, Jason Jones, Stephanie McKeever and Rebecca Guth; his stepdaughters, Megan Sanders and Meredith Carter; seven grandchildren; and his brothers, Dennis and Gary Jones.
Visitation will be Oct. 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. at First Christian Church in Washington. A celebration of his life will follow at 5 p.m. The family asks for donations to the church instead of flowers.
