E. Eugene Jones

A memorial service celebrating the life of Everett Eugene Jones, Ph.D., 65, of Granville, will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday, October 6, 2014 at First Presbyterian Church, 110 W. Broadway, Granville with Rev. Trip Porch and Rev. Dave Ball officiating. A reception will follow in Heritage Hall at the church. A graveside service will be held at 1:00 P.M. Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at Mountain View Memorial Park in Boulder, Colorado.

Gene died Thursday, October 2, 2014 at his home. He was born in Austin, Texas to Imogene (Brown) Jones and the late Tony Jones. Gene and his sister Susan were raised in Boulder, Colorado, where his father served as a professor in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Colorado and his mother taught elementary school. Gene completed his undergraduate degree at Baylor University, then served two years in the Peace Corps in Micronesia on the island of Truk. Wanderlust ignited, he traveled the roads of Northern Ireland, lived for a summer on a Greek isle, and worked a year on a kibbutz in Israel. Returning home, he earned a Master of Divinity and Ph. D. in Ethics from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. His work focused on issues of social justice, fighting 'redlining' in New York, apartheid in South Africa, and disenfranchisement of Native Americans on reservations. He taught college courses in religion and philosophy at Drake University and Grandview College in Des Moines, and served as an adjunct professor at Capital University and The Ohio State University Newark campus. A voracious reader of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, he took pleasure in sparring on almost any issue. He enjoyed a variety of music, from folk to classical to indie rock. A dedicated father, he loved his sons, was proud of them, and had no greater joy than being with them.

In addition to his mother, Gene is survived by his sons, Benjamin and Luke Chakoian Jones; sister, Susan R. Jones; and nephew, Stephen Michael.

Arrangements are in the care of McPeek-Hoekstra Funeral Home in Granville. Online condolences may be expressed at www.mcpeekhoekstra.com.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Newark-Granville Youth Symphony, P.O. Box 566, Granville, Ohio 43023.