BILL JONES

William Lee “Bill” Jones, Sr., 91, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, February 2, 2023, with his beloved children by his side after a brief illness. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2023, at Watson-Hunt Funeral Home. The Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m., and the Funeral will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Reverend Jamie Powell officiating. Entombment with military honors will be in the Freedom Mausoleum in Perry Memorial Gardens immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorial contributions to First Baptist Church, 1105 Main Street, Perry, GA 31069, or Friends of Perry Animal Shelter (FOPAS), 204 Kellwood Drive, Perry, GA 31069. Bill was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, on December 24, 1931, and spent his childhood in Foreman, Arkansas. In 1951, Bill proudly joined the United States Air Force and served his country, and while stationed in Mobile, Alabama, he met and married the love of his life, Ann Scoper. The young couple enjoyed much of their free time enjoying life on the water. Bill was an excellent skier and could actually perform “tricks,” skiing with others to build pyramids, skiing on a boat oar, and rising from the water backwards to ski. Once their two children came along, they were quick learners, and Bill delighted in teaching them the tricks of skiing through the years. Bill and Ann worked at Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile until it closed in 1965. They accepted positions at Robins Air Force Base and chose nearby Perry to live forever. Bill soon began construction of the home in which he and his family would always live. They joined First Baptist Church of Perry where Bill had been a faithful and active member for over fifty-eight years. He taught Sunday School for 12-year-old boys for many years, and formerly served as a Young Deacon. He was an active member of the Jimmy Teresi Sunday School Class, even until his passing. While at Robins Air Force Base, Bill received numerous awards for his distinguished service including the Air Force Association’s AFA Citation Award in 1984, and in 1985, received the meritorious Civilian Service Award, the second highest Air Force award given to a civilian employee. Bill retired from Civil Service at RAFB in 1989 after thirty-eight years of dedicated service to the federal government. Having two young children, Bill was instrumental in the culmination of the opening of The Westfield School, with his children being the first two enrolled as students. He served on the inaugural Board of Directors and continued to support the growth and development of the school for many years. As his children aged and became involved in sporting events, Bill and Ann were always at the ballgames - Bill with cow bell and bull horn in tow. You always knew he was there when you heard one of his non-traditional megaphones, even if you didn’t see him. After his retirement, Bill and Ann bought a cabin near Helen, Georgia, where they spent many months each year enjoying the mountains, making memories, and entertaining their children and grandchildren. Back in Perry, Bill spent a great deal of time working in his garden where he perfected the home-grown tomato. He was thrilled to share his harvest, which also included pecans and other fruits and vegetables, with his friends and neighbors. Bill and Ann became avid bird watchers after he turned their backyard into a bird sanctuary. He could often be found on his back porch identifying and recording the various kinds of birds seen, as well as filling the numerous feeders with the varieties of seed. Bill had a true servant’s heart and treasured the moments he made people smile when visiting his friends, the sick, and shut-ins. Before the untimely passing of his beloved wife, Ann, Bill worked tirelessly to provide and care for her during her illness in order to keep her at home. In the short time Bill has lived alone, he continued to rely on God to allow him to thrive every day he continued to live. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Jesse and Evelyn Odell Jones; his loving and devoted wife of nearly sixty-eight years, Ann Scoper Jones; his sisters, Nadine Clevenger and Charlotte Wright; and his son-in-law, Chuck LeClair. Left to cherish the memories they made with Bill are his faithful children, Billy Jones (Holly) of Sevierville, Tennessee, and Pam Jones LeClair-Cox (Jimmy) of Kathleen; four grandchildren who lovingly referred to him as “PaPa”, Catherine Jones Musgrove (Michael), Rebecca Jones Lindgren (Todd), Mark LeClair (Kristin), and Rachel LeClair; and seven great-grandchildren. Condolences for the family may be left in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.

Tributes

BILL JONES

December 24, 1931 - February 2, 2023