When Ronald Jones
drove a golf ball off the tee, there was a tremendous sound that
people could not ignore.
The shot was straight, true and
impressive.
Family and friends said his career
as a father, teacher, coach and administrator was exactly the
same.
Jones died Tuesday, Dec. 21, [2010]
at St. Anthony's Hospital and was buried at Resurrection Cemetery
on Tuesday following a funeral service at Kutis South County Chapel.
He was 70.
Jones devoted his career to the
field of education, which included 30 years at Mehlville [Missouri]
Senior High School where he served more than a decade as its principal.
Ed Chard, a former teacher at Mehlville
who would become Oakville High School principal called Jones,
"the most intelligent educator I've ever met."
"What
made Ron Jones unique was his desire to understand and work with
individual students," Chard said?. "He had the
ability to help students break down their concerns so that they
could come up with solutions and mature in the learning process."
Jones joined the Mehlville staff
in 1966 as a social studies teacher and a ninth grade basketball
coach. He would later become head of the school's physical
education department and coach golf and boys' gymnastics. His
1974 gymnastics team won the Missouri state title.
In 1978, Jones was named assistant
principal and was promoted to principal in 1985. Upon his
retirement in 1996, he was the longest tenured principal in the
school's history.
The school and district honored
Jones in 1997 by renaming its gym the Ronald L. Jones Gymnasium.
Its memorial plaque reads "Ronald L. Jones, Dedicated
to Students."
Born in Logansport, IN, on July
9, 1940, Jones graduated from Logansport High School where he
excelled at basketball, football and track. He was named
to the All-Conference basketball team in both 1957 and 1958, and
also led the conference in scoring in 1957.
After spending two years at Fountain
Valley School, a prep school for the United States Air Force Academy
in Colorado Springs, CO, Jones was appointed to the Air Force
Academy. He played for the basketball and track teams and,
in 1960, he was named Rocky Mountain Conference 'Sophomore to
Watch' in basketball.
In 1961, Jones accompanied his future
bride, Nancy Jane Erbs, to St. Louis. She had moved back
to St. Louis after graduating from Loretto Heights College in
Colorado.
Jones then attended Washington University,
where he also played basketball and was named third team All American
in 1963 and 1964.
After marrying Erbs in 1963, Jones
became a graduate assistant, assistant basketball coach and assistant
trainer for Washington University, where he received his Masters
Degree in Education. He later became a faculty member, teaching
physical education.
"My father was a true leader,"
said Kevin Jones of Manchester, one of Jones' surviving sons.
"Whether it was being captain
of the basketball team, head of the physical education department,
coach, principal, our family or on the golf course, he was the
leader."
Along with Kevin and his wife Nancy,
Jones is also survived by his eldest son Brian, who resides in
Oakville.
The preceeding from the Mehlville Patch 1-08-11.
[Ron and Nancy lived in the same home from 1966 according to one report.]
The following from the Legacy website:
Jones, Ronald L. Age 70, fortified with the Sacraments of Holy Mother Church, [died] Tuesday, December 21, 2010. Beloved husband of Nancy J. Jones (nee Erbs) for 47 years. Dearest father of Brian (Tracy) Jones and Kevin (Tina) Jones; loving grandfather of Chelsea, Brenden, Chase, Nicholas and Amanda Jones; great-grandfather of Chole; dear brother of Penelope [LHS - '62]; our dear brother-in-law, uncle and friend to many. Longtime educator for Mehlville School District. He was dedicated to his students. Services: Funeral at KUTIS SOUTH COUNTY Chapel, 5255 Lemay Ferry Rd. (at Butler Hill), [Missouri], Tuesday, December 28, 2010, at 10 a.m. Interment Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the American Diabetes Association appreciated Visitation Monday, 2-8 p.m.