Thomas R. Jones

Published 2:57 pm Thursday, December 22, 2011

Franklin, VA – Thomas R. Jones, 93, of Franklin, died on December 20 at Southampton Memorial Hospital after an apparent heart attack. He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Carolyn Harvey Jones. He is survived by his sister, Edith Jones Bayly of Winchester, Virginia; his brother, James Robert Jones of Franklin; sons Thomas Rawles Jones, Jr. and Christopher Harvey Jones both of Alexandria, Virginia; daughter Carol Jones Sherman of Bangor, Maine; grandchildren Stacy Ries of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Shannon Prosser of Charlotte, North Carolina, Sian Jones of Alexandria, Virginia, and Scott Sherman and Joseph Sherman of Bangor, Maine; and five great-grandchildren.

Born in Holland, he attended Elon College and graduated from the University of Virginia before serving in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific during World War II. He taught and coached sports in the Nansemond County Schools, and managed his family’s retail business in Holland, before becoming manager of the Suffolk office of the Virginia Employment Commission. He was active in civic and community affairs, serving on the boards of Obici Hospital, the Salvation Army, and the United Way among many. He was a member of the Holland Christian Church where he served as chairman of the Board of Deacons and of the Building Committee. In retirement he resided at The Village at Woods Edge in Franklin and served on its capital campaign committee.

A memorial service will be held on December 27, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. at the Wright Funeral Home, 206 West Fourth Avenue, Franklin, Virginia 23851. The family will receive friends at a reception immediately following the service at The Village at Woods Edge, 1401 North High Street, Franklin, Virginia 23851. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to The Salvation Army in lieu of flowers. www.wrightfuneralhome.org.