Thomas R. Jones

Published 7:43 pm Thursday, December 22, 2011

December 20, 2011

FRANKLIN — Thomas R. Jones, 93, of Franklin, died on Dec. 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, Va.; his brother, James Robert Jones, of Franklin; sons, Thomas Rawles Jones Jr. and Christopher Harvey Jones, both of Alexandria, Va.; daughter, Carol Jones Sherman, of Bangor, Maine; grandchildren, Stacy Ries of Doylestown, Penn., Shannon Prosser, of Charlotte, N.C., Sian Jones, of Alexandria, Va., 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 Dec. 27, 2011, at 2 p.m. at the Wright Funeral Home, 206 W. Fourth Ave., Franklin, VA 23851. The family will receive friends at a reception immediately following the service at The Village at Woods Edge, 1401 N. High St., Franklin, VA 23851. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Salvation Army in lieu of flowers. www.wrightfuneralhome.org.