John Edward Jones Jr.

04/29/1950 - 02/03/2026

John Edward Jones Jr., 75 passed away during quiet snowfall at his home on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 after battling illness.

He is preceded in death by his parents John Edward Jones Sr. and Polly Jones, his infant son, Benjamin Edward Jones, his brother Bill Jones, and his friend and brother in law Jeff Dutton.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Sherry Jones; his daughter Lindsay Jones (John Russell); his son John Elliott Jones (Carmel Clavin); grandsons Roman Lee Kelly and Rio Wyatt Russell. He also leaves behind a brother Bob Jones (Beth Jones) and sister Nancy Bridges (Tracey Bridges), his sister-in-law Suzie Dutton, his brothers in law Tim Kuhns (Carol Kuhns), Jack Kuhns (Patty Kuhns) along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.

He was born in Huntington, WV on April 29, 1950 and relocated with his parents shortly after to Louisville, KY. After graduating from Seneca High school with the class of 1968 he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Spanish from Purdue University. He went on to obtain a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University and began a career in Law. He earned a Masters in Divinity from Southern Baptist and Louisville Presbyterian Seminaries.

He served as a pastor over 21 years at Christ Church United Methodist, Crescent Hill United Methodist, and Summit Heights United Methodist helping many and building lifelong friendships. He ministered in the penitentiary, invited discussions of theology with all, and created acts of ministry outside of his profession with the Methodist Conference. He traveled for missionary labor and aide to Nicaragua and Belize organized a “March for Jesus” locally and founded Louisville Metro Christian Community Inc. with his friend Tom. He went on to honor his faith by choosing to step away from the business of religion to work in Mediation. In support of his daughter he obtained his Real Estate License with Lindsay in 2007. John then went on as an employee of JCPS in special education, Physical Education, and as a Records clerk at Highland Middle School for years.

John grew up on Glenmeade Road, a quintessential American neighborhood in the 60s. As one of about a hundred kids in the Glenmeade Road gang, he was known as Johnny, building his first strong friendships and community there. He was a Boy Scout and held a special memory of canoeing down Floyds Fork with Jeff Brodsky. He attended Buechel United Methodist Church, with his family, where he first met Sherry and other dear lifelong friends.

John and Sherry wed several years later in 1971. The adventures beginning with aspirations of being pig farmers in Indiana, living in Lafayette and Bloomington, furthering education, and 6 years later starting their family back in Louisville with Lindsay’s birth in 1977 and Elliott’s in 1982. Their commitment, devotion, and effort to care for their marriage and one another never relinquished.

John spent time in his youth playing and coaching both Buechel baseball and swimming. He was a lifeguard and swim teacher at Middletown Manor Swim Club. He had reached for a scholarship to play baseball in college that was not offered and he did not play collegiately. Even so, he was enrolled and lived in a dorm of footballers bewildered by the presence of this scrawny kid. He was a short order cook, bartended and waited tables in Bloomington and West Lafayette Indiana, and had a paper route with Sherry and their dog of 17 years, Sombra, who once saved the family from a burglary.

His father’s lasting relationship with Edgar Haynam, forged in WWII, continued throughout John’s childhood with annual stays on the Haynam family dairy farm in Minerva Ohio. John continued this tradition with his own family until he could no longer travel there. Holding so many memories of laughter, home cooking, bailing hay, square dancing, sweet corn, and the West Township Ruritan Fair. He cherished the Haynams, his family by love, whose relationships remained most dear to him.

He loved music. In high school he played drums in the marching band and in the Intruders, later playing the stand up bass and lead vocals for the songs, “Homegrown Tomatoes” and “Up on Cripple Creek” with The Steamboat Band. He would play his guitar and sing his children to sleep. He would loudly sing his favorite hymns.

“Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was his first and his favorite album. The Band, John Denver, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Rait, James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Willie Nelson, and John Prine could be found spinning on his turntable or streaming.

He continued swimming laps for decades at Mary T Meagher Aquatic Center and at the seminary pool and taught several people that were dear to him to swim. His swimming skills definitely came in handy during a couple canoe trips.

His love of baseball settled into a strong following and support of the Kansas City Royals. As a Purdue graduate he remained a loyal Boilermaker for all college games.

When his daughter, Lindsay’s, public high school field hockey team was up against parochial and private teams that had solid parent cheering sections he started and led a cheerleading group with few other fathers. Cheering the team all the way to win the state championship in 1994.

This infectious enthusiasm continued through to the next generation with his ardent support of his grandsons. He listened to Roman’s radio shows covering local sports play by play and attended Rio’s soccer games. Rio commented once that “Pop” was his biggest supporter, always at the sidelines every chance he could be.

His appreciation of soccer began whilst visiting his son, Elliott, in Durham, England. Watching the UK v US World Cup game in a local pub where he was unabashed in his support of his home team. He also made time during this trip to visit Hadrian’s Wall and Pwllheli, Wales where his son’s then wife, Ellen Chapman, and her grandpa Jim Watkins showed John and Sherry the quiet wonders of the Welsh Country from which most Joneses originally hail.

John took yearly fishing trips to the Minnesota Boundary Waters Canoe Area with friend and Leader Bob Franzman along with a host of other characters over the years. He took Elliott with him as a child many times, an experience his son credits as opening up his experience of the wider world when he really needed it. His son would return with him as an adult and join him for the last trip John was able to make in Autumn 2024.

John never loved fishing - but he loved catching fish. Over the years he joined the over twenty (bass), thirty (walleye) and forty (pike) clubs, but what he loved most (even more than freshly caught golden fried walleye) was enjoying the peace and serenity of staying back at camp for an “in service day.” He became known as “Cookie” for being the regular camp chef and the name stuck even after that role passed to the next man in line. The Boundary Waters were likely his most special place besides Minerva.

His mom, Polly, taught him to love crossword puzzles. He never used pencil, always ink and he loved words. He loved to read, delving into scriptural texts, tales from Middle-Earth, and the daily paper with equal vigor. He passed his love of words and of Tolkien’s works on to his son. John read “The Hobbit” several times and Elliott read it aloud to him again over the last few weeks of John’s life, a final gift each of them gave to one another.

John was at his heart a simple, loving, man of God. He held his faith and acts of prayer most important and while he faced so much in the last years with his physical body, he was calm and graceful showing patience and strength for his trust in meeting Jesus. He turned a year of weekly chemotherapy trips to James Brown Cancer Center into a joyful act of giving love and care to the doctors and nurses that cared for him.

These last years were filled with what he loved best: cheering his grandsons’ soccer games, listening to their radio shows, weekly lunch at DiOrio’s with friends, Facetime and phone calls with loved ones, slow days with Sherry taking long drives on back roads, sitting riverside, and favorite restaurant dates. The last months, he found enjoyment in back scratches from Sherry, Lindsay, Elliott, John Russell and Rio, Coke Zero, Wendy’s cheeseburgers, ice cream, watching House, PBS Nature, and Nova programs, reading the Sunday comics, and being read aloud to by Elliott. He was loved and cared for by Sherry, his family, and dearest friends, his hospice nurse, Jennifer and aides. He was so loved and will be missed.

The family is celebrating John’s life by gathering at Gheens Foundation Lodge at Beckley Creek Park on Monday March 23, 2026. Visitation from 3pm-5pm with a Celebration of Life to follow at 5:30pm.

In Lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider making a donation in memory of John to Olmstead Parks Conservancy, Equility Horsemanship, 1401 Oldham View Drive LaGrange Ky 40031, Venmo: @EquilityBTC or Arthur’s Earth Sanctuary  www.arthursearthsanctuary.com

Magnolia cremations is handling arrangements.