Jack Eugene Jones

Jack Eugene Jones, 93, of Mentone passed away Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Born in Live Oak, Florida to Harold G. Jones and Ida Green Jones, Jack moved to Miami as a child where he met Olive Searing in elementary school. The two married in September 1940. While attending the University of Florida, he served as student body secretary/treasurer, Sigma Chi, was in Blue Key Honor Society, served as head cheerleader, was elected to the UF Hall of Fame his senior year, and was the Southeastern Diving Champion in 1940. He graduated from UF when it was still an all-boys school. During WWII he served in the Army Air Corp as a 1st Lt. and developed Physical Rehabilitation programs across the nation. He was commissioned an honorary Colonel in 2002. As a child, Jack came to Mentone, AL for summer camp. He later purchased Camp Cloudmont for Boys and ran summer camp there for over 30 years. In 1975, Jack built the Log Cabin Village in Mentone which is still in use today. He set into motion the Lookout Mountain Parkway Association and was very active in MAPA, the DeKalb Tourist Association, SAR, Rotary, American Legion, Alabama Mountain Lakes and was a director of Chattanooga Choo-Choo. He and Olive own Cloudmont Ski and Golf Resort and Shady Grove Dude Ranch, along with Valley View Ranch (which he later sold to his daughters). The movie Southern Heart was filmed on his property. He enjoyed sailboat racing, owned a small aircraft, and wrote two autobiographies. In his later years, he became a painter and recorded camp fire songs. He certainly lived a full life! A funeral mass will be held 11 a.m. Friday, March 9th at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church with the burial following in the family cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday from 4 until 7 p.m. at Wilson Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. He is survived by his wife of 71 years Olive S. Jones, sons Oliver R. Jones and Gary W. Jones, and wife Cindy, daughters Nancy C. Jones, Marsha J. Hair and husband Douglas Sr., Janis J. Carrier, and Angela J. Wood, grandchildren Rebecca Miller and husband Marshall, Chelsea Manning and husband Garrett, Margaret Carrier, Douglas Hair, Jr., Lura Horton and husband Matt, Dena Jones, Nathan Jones, and Austin Jones, great-grandchildren Tyler Rowland, Jackson Drennan, and Cael and Renn Horton, nephews Harold (Barbara) Jones III and Kinsey (Sharon) Jones, nieces Joyce Francois, Kinsey (Jennifer) Jones Jr., and Kelly Schrader. Wilson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements, online guestbook, www.wilsonfhinc.com

Jack Eugene Jones

May 25, 1918 - March 6, 2012