Willie Ray Jones

Willie Ray Jones was born to David Leon Jones Sr. and Ethel Lee Baker Jones on March 2, 1942, in Oak Ridge, Louisiana. After a brief illness, he passed away on January 22, 2026, in his new-found community of Benton Village in Stockbridge, Georgia. To those who love him, he was known variously as Bill, Ray, Woody, Pappy Jones, Old Man, and Pamgraw.

Bill honorably served his country as an Army medic during the Viet Nam War, from 1962 to 1965, and will be put to rest with full military honors.

He loved many activities—fishing, picking persimmons and pecans from trees that might not have belonged to him, watching his nephew Quincy play football, paper towels and toothpicks, nickel slots and the lottery, finding pennies on the ground, practical jokes, cabernet sauvignon, and nurses—not necessarily in that order. Most of all, Bill adored golf, which he played three times a week (weather permitting) until a few months before his death.

Fiercely independent, Bill drove and cooked for himself until he was partially disabled by a stroke in April 2025. Needing some additional assistance with daily activities, he moved into Benton Village. There, he found a new community in which to cause (good) trouble. He played bingo, went on field trips, and took the local shuttle to run errands for himself. Though he needed the aid of a wheelchair, he perfected his own method of propulsion: Rather than rolling himself forward, he pushed himself backward with both feet—warning those behind him to “might the way!”

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his youngest sister, Bettye Marie Hillard of Sacramento, California. He is survived by his three children, his four grandchildren, one grand-dog, two of his siblings, and a host of nephews and nieces:

Kristina Michele Jones, her husband Hugh Patrick Fairman, and their beloved dog Alleria, who live in Ellenwood, Georgia;

Jonathan Patrick Jones, his wife Juana Santoyo Jones, and their two daughters, Alina Susan Jones and Elisa Kristin Jones (and dog Kristoff), of Huntington Park, California;

Kara Tatiana Jones of Los Angeles, California, and her two children, Lucas Fair Eckstein-Jones and Isabella Gabrielle Eckstein-Jones, both of Albuquerque, New Mexico;

David Jones Jr. and his wife Carolyne of Nashville, Tennessee, and their children David Jones III of Chicago, Illinois (his daughter Kirsten, and his wife Ester); and Carol Denise Phillips and her husband Carlos Phillips (and their children Morgan Phillips and Malcolm Phillips) of Powder Springs, Georgia;

Velma Ruth Williams and her children Justin Williams and Dawn Solves (and Dawn’s daughter Epifania Solves), of Whittier, California;

and

Bettye’s children Leslie Hillard of Stockton, California (and Leslie’s children, John Hillard of Los Angeles, California; Quincy Hillard of Boise, Idaho; and Londen Hillard of Santa Barbara, California); and Nathan Andrew Hillard and his wife Robi Hillard of Los Angeles, California.

In addition to family, Bill is survived by many friends and loved ones, including the members of the Jonesboro Church of Christ.

The Jones family conveys its deep gratitude to those who helped care for Bill in the final months of his life, particularly the staff at Benton Village and Southern Grace Hospice.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Villalobos Rescue Center (https://www.vrcpitbull.com/how-you-can-help/donations/) or the National Veterans Foundation (https://nvf.org/veterans-donations/).