Jones in 2011 (Image: CHS)

Friends, family, and City of Seattle officials are remembering Patrick Jones, the “Mayor of Melrose,” and his outsized work dedicated to a small area of the city.

Jones died last week reportedly in his sleep. He was ready to turn 61 this summer.

Jones, with his story of recovery from addiction as a former Marine and hitting rock bottom before arriving in Seattle with almost nothing, is remembered for his dedication to the neighborhood near his Capitol Hill Housing home around Melrose Ave where he made it a point to be a friend to nearly every type of person — and good dogs, too.

Over the years, Jones served as steward of the Plymouth Pillars off-leash dog park, and helped contribute to community groups, while organizing neighborhood efforts including the Melrose Project dedicated to championing issues around street and public safety. When Melrose Ave’s new “Poem Dazzle” community crosswalks debuted, Patrick Jones, of course, was one of the first people to let CHS know.

His biggest work of neighborhood love — and his most frequent inspiration for another email to CHS to keep us up to date on his projects — was the creation of the Concerts at the Columns music series. Later dubbed Random Acts of Music, the summer series brought musicians and bands to the public space at the intersection of Boren and Pike overlooking downtown. It took an incredible effort from Jones to keep up funding and a schedule of performers across the eight years of music he created at the base of Capitol Hill.

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