J.B. Jones Jr. of Blacksburg passed away peacefully at his home on Nov. 7, 2020.
J.B. was born on December 27, 1936, in Roanoke to the late James Bernard Jones and Evangeline Maybell Jones of Blacksburg.
J.B. just celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary this past summer with his devoted wife, Suzanne (Suzie) Price Jones, and their children. In addition to Suzie, J.B. is survived by his sister, Mary V. Jones, his son and daughter-in-law James Bernard (J.B.) III and Jane and his daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer Jones Hubble and Chad. “Grumpy” also leaves two loving grandchildren, Avery Lane Jones and James Bernard Jones IV. He will be dearly missed by his family, his hound dog Dixie and all who loved him.
J.B. graduated from Blacksburg High School in 1954 and moved on to receive his BS in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech in 1958. He served six years of military service through a combination of active duty Army and Virginia Army National Guard. He spent his entire working career at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (1958-1996) and served in a variety of positions including maintenance and utilities manager, program manager responsible for design, construction and operations of both nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin nitration facilities an
d chemical processing manager. He made many friends at the arsenal and continued to tell stories of his days there following his retirement in 1996.
J.B. was a faithful Christian his entire life and attended multiple churches around town with his family. His last church home was at Belmont Christian Church on Peppers Ferry Road.
J.B., an Eagle Scout, had a passion for public service. Upon the request of Blacksburg mayor Roger Hedgepeth, J.B. served one year on the Blacksburg Town Council (2003) and a total of 21 years on the Blacksburg Planning Commission (1998-2019). He was an excellent listener and truly put the best interests of the Town of Blacksburg in every motion that came before him.
J.B.’s long life led him to enjoy a variety of activities including square dancing, gardening, country music, golf, VT women’s basketball and softball and men’s football, community theatre, reading and bird watching. He had an incredibly curious nature and loved to research things and then share his findings. Above all, J.B. had a fantastic sense of humor; his laugh was renowned and could be heard for miles.
The family is planning a celebration of life service in the spring. Memorial donations may be made to the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad @blacksburgrescue.org or a charity of your choice.
To send the family personal condolences, please visit our website at www.mccoyfuneralhome.com.