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 1962 - 2014 (52 years)
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| Name |
Andrew Kirk Jones |
| Birth |
18 May 1962 |
Parkersburg, Wod, WV  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
31 Dec 2014 |
Toccoa, Stephens, GA |
| Burial |
03 Jan 2015 |
Martin, Stephens, GA |
| Person ID |
I954 |
Georgia Society Member Graves Registry |
| Last Modified |
8 Dec 2015 |
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| Notes |
- Andy was always an adventurous child. He always pushed the envelope and tried a lot of new things. We lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Belpre, Ohio where most of the 100 homes had been built. It was fairly secluded since there were only two streets entering the sub-division. It was safe for the kids to play outside in several different yards. The years 1968-1969 were a period of adjustment for Andy and all our family. Nancy and I felt a call from God to serve as international missionaries with the Southern Baptist Mission Board. Andy, his sister and brother attended three schools in three states when Andy was in first grade. Andy and his brother wanted to go to the boarding school at Rift Valley Academy beginning with the eighth grade. Andy got homesick at the beginning of the first term but we insisted he stick it out. Very quickly, he settled in and enjoyed being with his siblings and friends. His class has remained very close over the years since they graduated in 1980. Andy attended every reunion he could and cherished the fellowship with his classmates.
- In 1981, Andy attended DeKalb Tech while Nancy and I were on stateside assignment. Before long, he decided he needed to work and found a job with a roofing company. He worked on the ?King and Queen? buildings at Perimeter Center and the UPS warehouse complex in Norcross. The mission board gives one free trip for missionary kids. Before Andy left to visit us in Kenya, the roofing company management told him when he returned, he would be made supervisor of the warehouse. When he returned, not only was he not made a supervisor, he did not have a job.
His brother-in-law, John Davenport, was working at Greenville, SC?s Childrens Hospital in the section caring for residential emotionally challenged boys. He got Andy a job as a nightime residential counselor for some of the boys. Later, a friend helped him get a job with York Construction Company in Greenville where he started as a lead carpenter/foreman. He was well liked by management and was asked to join the company think tank as the only hourly employee. In 1994, he was promoted to Supertendent. He oversaw several large industrial projects, the largest being a 340,000 sq.ft. plate glass manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia. York was bought out by a huge company in 2001 and Andy was downsized with many other York employees. During the next four years, he worked for other construction companies. The performance of sub-contract companies was very poor and with this stress, Andy left construction for a manufacturing job in Toccoa.
In 2005, he joined a small, family business in Greenville servicing a niche market in custom closets. He designed the projects, supervised installers, purchased supplies,and managed the warehouse. When the company went bankrupt due the economic downturn, he was unemployed for more than two years finally landing a job with Toyota Corp four months before he died.
- One of Andy?s passions was his annual camping trip with about forty friends. They would go down the Savannah River to a favorite location in February. I teased him often saying it was stupid to camp in February. But he loved it. Many times, he was the chief cook, especially for breakfast. His friends were a close-knit group who always enjoyed this special time together, whether in the snow and freezing weather or when the river flooded. We called Andy our gourmet cook because he was always trying something new in the kitchen and they were always tasty. He became interested in bar-b-que and partnered with a friend to start ?Hill Rat Bar-B-Que. They entered a number of competitions and won some awards. Andy became certified as a competition judge, something her was very proud of.
- Andy was a Bulldawg fan, much to the chagrin of his brother and me who support the Rambling Wrecks. He was a master at finding unique and funny hats, especially at Christmas. He loved movies and could often repeat long sections of the dialogue. His warm personality attracted people to him and he made friends easily. He hoped a few friendships would lead to a dating relationship but there were disappointments.
- I began working on family history and geneology in 1994. After we retired in 2007, I was talking to a church friend, Gordon Woodard, who told me he was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and his Patriot ancestor was Benjamin Brown. I told him my maternal grandmother was a Brown. When I checked my research, I found I was also descended from Benjamin. This led to documentation of the relationship to our patriot ancestor, Samuel Dean. In the spring of 2012, Andy, his brother Tom Jr., and I were inducted into the Button Gwinnett Chapter together. Andy has been very proud of this honor. We were also proud to learn that Nancy?s cousin, Hubert Tucker, was the first president of the Button Gwinnett Chapter. Twila, I and the rest of our family are deeply honored by this recognition of his life today. Our faith in God is strong because we have no doubt Andy is celebrating with his Jesus and his mother in heaven as we remember him today.
- Andy's only marriage was to Twila Dawn Jones on May 5, 2012. They met in 2011 and Andy was given his grandmother's diamond ring in February 2012 to give to Twila when they were engaged. Andy said they set their wedding date because he wanted to get married before he was 50 years old. Twila had three married daughters and six grandchildren by a previous marriage. All of Twila's family loved him and the daughters and grandchildren called him Pops.
- Compatriot Jones' grave was marked by the Button Gwinnett and Blue Ridge Mountains Chapters 7 Nov 2015.
- Biography submitted by Compatriot Thomas A. Jones, Sr.
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