David Paul Jones, Skokie's first Black homeowner, dies at 93

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David Paul Jones and his wife, Martha, were Skokie’s first Black homeowners in 1961, and despite initial racial hostility toward them, Jones went on to become active in the village’s civic life, serving for many years on its Human Relations Commission and its Board of Fire and Police Commission.

“He was just the kindest man,” said Barbara Meyer, a retired corporation counsel for Skokie. “I knew him while he was chair of the Fire and Police Commission, and he did an amazing job and cared about the community he lived in.”

Jones, 93, died of natural causes on Sept. 30 at the Presbyterian Westminster Place assisted living community in Evanston, said his daughter Becky Betts. He had lived in Skokie from 1961 until 2019, when he moved to Evanston.