Auctioneer Jesse Lee Jones Had An Eye For Fine Art Glass

At 6 feet tall, with dark hair mowed short above his intense blue eyes, and brandishing a cigarette or drink, Jesse Lee Jones Jr.

seemed larger than life.

Bespectacled and wearing a sharp suit, he cut quite a figure.

He kept big dogs. He loved watching boxing and being the center of a competitive situation, making him well-suited to his career as an auctioneer.

And he loved to travel in pursuit of pricey treasures.

In less politically correct times, Mr. Jones, 47, might have been called "a man's man."

Yet this tough businessman, who died Feb. 13 after a yearlong fight with throat cancer, showed a refreshingly soft side: He adored his wife and was an expert on fine art glass, especially by Tiffany.

"Jesse was my buoy and my rock of Gibraltar," said his wife, Pam Jones of Federal Way. "We met in 1979 when I was working for (Jesse Jones Auctioneers) and ran the business together. We were an excellent team, although he was chauvinistic. We divorced for five months, but he courted me in Mexico, and we healed things and remarried."

His knowledge of art glass was unequaled, she said. "We attended many great antique shows throughout the country, including the `Masterworks of Louis Comfort Tiffany,' in 1988 in Washington, D.C."

Steve Morris, co-owner of Pacific Galleries, said, "Jesse basically was a national authority on the subject of fine art glass and Tiffany lamps. His opinion was heavily relied on by all the

local people and known in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago."

Morris remembered Mr. Jones' persuasive ways.

"When (Jesse) auctioned and was down to a couple of final bidders, and the second-to-last bidder was not bidding, Jesse would ask him for another bid and at the same time nod his head up and down. It worked more times than not.

"He might not even have been aware he did it. But I noticed it and implemented it myself."

Besides conducting sales for estates, businesses, cities and counties, Mr. Jones conducted sales for U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Bruce Kriegman, an attorney for the court, called Mr. Jones "a ball of fire" with "tremendous spirit."

Kriegman said Mr. Jones had a diverse knowledge about things and was "a walking blue book with a real grasp of the worth of everything."

He is survived by his daughter, Dehanna Jones of Seattle; his son, David Jones of Auburn; his mother, Lillian Jones; and sisters Judy Knott, Linda Simonds and Susan Hemmings, all of Portsmouth, Va.

A memorial party was held yesterday at the College Club. Remembrances may be sent to Muttmatchers, a pet rescue and placement agency, P.O. Box 1165, Enumclaw, WA 98022.