John Philip Alexander Hoblyn Jones

Philip was born on 9 October, 1963 in the City of London within hearing of Bow Bells, which technically made him a Cockney. He grew up living in London, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. At age eight he attended Yardley Court as a boarder and at thirteen moved on to Stowe School. When he was eighteen years old, Philip moved to America where he joined his sister in attending Syracuse University. After graduating in 1986 he moved to New York City where he met his wife, Mary, and they were married in 1994. In 1997 Philip and Mary welcomed their daughter Sam into the world and in 2000 their son Jack. Philip loved New York and considered himself a New Yorker. It was that love that inspired him to become an American citizen after his Tribeca neighborhood was devastated by the terrorist attack on 9/11.

For most of his career in New York, Philip worked for the Social Register Association where he oversaw many aspects of the operation and served as assistant editor for the Social Register Observer. In 2007, Philip and Mary decided to leap into a new life by traveling in Southeast Asia with their kids for almost six months and then landing in 2008 in Yarmouth, Maine. In Maine Philip worked as a freelance writer and editor for a number of years and then became the Manager of Marketing Operations for Maine Preservation.

Philip was honored to have the opportunity to contribute to his beloved Yarmouth community in so many ways. He coached his son’s soccer team and later served on the board of the Yarmouth Colts. He was proud to have been a member of the Merrill Memorial Library Board of Trustees where he served as president of the board and vice-chair of the Capital Campaign Committee which successfully raised $2.7 million. And, at the time of his death Philip was serving his fifth year on the Yarmouth School Committee, where he was very honored to have been elected by his friends and neighbors to serve. Over those years he was the chair of the Policy Committee, a member of the Facilities Committee, a part of the contract negotiation team, board liaison to the high school parents’ group, and both the Wellness and Sports and Recreation Committees.

Philip’s interests were eclectic and multitudinous. He loved movies, (his favourites being Casablanca and China Town), music, (from Noel Coward to the Beatles to NWA), cricket, rugby, Arsenal and QPR football, mountain climbing, traveling, reading, TinTin, sugary candy, Scotland, single malt scotch, left-wing politics, bright colors (especially pink and orange), and anything with lots of swearing and dirty jokes.

Philip is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Samantha Jones, son Jack Jones, sister Henrietta Jones, niece Zoë Vorisek, mother Wendy Jones, and father John Philip Jones.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the “Our House II” campaign to fund restrooms at the Yarmouth turf (Yarmouth Schools at 101 McCartney Street, Yarmouth ME 04096), to Merrill Memorial Library in Yarmouth, or to the Maine Preservation Philip Jones Advocacy Fund, which has been created in his honor to actively campaign to further historic preservation initiatives throughout Maine, (233 W Main St, Yarmouth, ME 04096.)