Thomas Ruben Jones, 84, died peacefully at his residence in Atlanta on Friday, May 9. He had undergone brain surgery following a serious fall at home and never recovered. Ruben was born on July 19, 1929, in Paulding County, to Bennie M. and Cora Bullock Jones. He was predeceased by his parents; his sister, Eugenia Blackstock; his brothers, Joe Jones, Marvin Jones, and Benson Jones; his niece Judy Cochran; and his nephew Jerry Blackstock. He is survived by his life partner of 49 years, Lowell Jacks; his nieces, Bonnie Blackstock, Patsy Blackstock, Adell Jones, Jean Jones, Sandra Cooper, and Donna Craig; his nephews, Steve Jones, Mike Jones, David Jones, and Russell Jones; and his beloved Italian greyhounds, Mark and Luke.
Ruben graduated from Dallas High School in 1947, attended Mercer University, and graduated from Auburn University in 1952. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order. In 1954 he joined his brother Benson in Atlanta as vice president of Longleaf Lumber Company and later joined a partnership with his father and brothers in Jones Wood & Timber Corporation, a pulpwood dealership. In 1973 his family, along with the Georgia Kraft Company and Cousins Properties, formed Adelphi Land Development to sell land holdings in Paulding and Polk Counties to the City of Atlanta for a possible future second airport. In 1987 the Jones Company Limited was formed, and through this company Ruben managed his family’s land holdings in Paulding, Polk, Haralson, Douglas, Carroll, Cobb, and Gordon counties. A portion of the Silver Comet Trail in Paulding County travels through Jones Company land.
From 1978-1992, Ruben served as chairman of the board of directors of the Citizens Bank of Paulding County. He was also chairman of the board of Northwest Georgia Financial Corporation and vice president of the Guarantee Trust Savings & Loan in Warner Robbins.
Ruben loved Paulding County, serving as president of the Paulding County Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the Paulding County Industrial Building Authority. He was a founding member of the Paulding County Rotary Club and the Paulding Council for the Arts, and was president of the Paulding County Historical Society.
As a staunch, enthusiastic supporter of the arts in Atlanta, he was a member of the High Museum of Art, where he served as chairman of both Friends of the Decorative Arts and the Acquisition Trust. He was also a member of the Atlanta Historical Society and the Antique Study Group, a long-standing club of recognized connoisseurs, which he served as president.
In 2001, he acquired an authentic Williamsburg village in Blue Ridge, where he and Lowell patiently and lovingly raised guineas, peacocks, turkeys, emus, horses, and chickens. Six years ago he bought and painstakingly restored the Henry B. Tompkins house on West Wesley. Designed by Neel Reid and built in 1923, the home is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ruben loved music—from Bach to Garrison Keillor; beautiful gardens and landscapes; fine architecture—especially classically balanced homes; good food—from down-home to gourmet; and—most of all—his fellow human beings. Because he valued expressions of concern and love, he kept every card and letter he ever received. He was a man of great intellect, astute financial acumen, and exquisite taste, all of which were more than matched by his unaffected, genuine love of people.
Over the years, he was a loyal parishioner at the Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta and at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Highlands, NC. For the last thirteen years he was a faithful member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Blue Ridge, GA.
Memorial services will be held in both Blue Ridge and Atlanta. The Blue Ridge service will be Saturday, July 12, 2:00 p.m., at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 7 Ewing Street. Phone: 706-632-8245. A reception will follow in Thomoson Hall. The Atlanta service will be Saturday, July 19, 2:00 p.m., at H.M. Patterson and Son, Spring Hill Chapel, 1020 Spring Street, Atlanta. Phone: 404-876-1022. Lowell and the family will receive friends an hour prior to the service. A reception will follow the service at the residence, 125 West Wesley Road, Atlanta, 30305.
In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 1821, Blue Ridge, GA 30513. Online condolences may be made at hmpattersonspringhill.com.
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