George Owens Jones, Jr., 93, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, went home to be with his Lord on Sunday, May 7, 2017, at his residence.
Graveside services will be held 4 PM, Tuesday, May 9, 2017, at Evergreen Cemetery in Fitzgerald with the Rev. Rex Johnson and the Rev. Elmer Golden officiating. The family will receive friends beginning at 2:00 Tuesday afternoon at the funeral home.
Mr. Jones was born January 22, 1924, in Macon, Georgia, to the late George Owens Jones, Sr. & Minnie Lee McDonald Jones. His family moved to Fitzgerald when George was a teenager. After graduating from Fitzgerald High School in 1943, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. After basic training, George served his country honorably on active duty in the Philippine Islands. Following his discharge from service, he graduated from South Georgia College. He worked for several years at Union Bag Company in Savannah, later returning to Fitzgerald to join his father as a welder in the family business, Fitzgerald Machine Shop.
Mr. Jones was an avid roller skater who skated like a pro. He was known by everyone as the fellow who taught hundreds in Ben Hill & Irwin County how to skate. His last skating event was a surprise skating party on his 80th birthday at Lake Beatrice. His friends pleaded with him not to try to skate at his age, but he surprised them all by gracefully performing his favorite sport. After George married his wife, the former Julia Fletcher Mulkey, they were ordained into the ministry and served as missionaries with On the Move Ministries. Together they have traveled numerous times to Mexico and had an extended trip to the Philippines to speak at a Bible School Training Center graduation on the island of Mindanao, the exact same island where George served during World War II. The pastor in charge lovingly introduced George as “a comrade of General MacArthur”. Mr. Jones was a member of Christian Fellowship.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two nephews, Mickey & Patsy Sallette of Richmond Hill and Edward & Diane Sallette of Eatonton as well as several great nieces and nephews. He is also survived by a step-daughter, Mona McDaniel of Fitzgerald and three grandchildren: Sean & Amy Fitzgerald of Fitzgerald, Lynne Fitzgerald Bradberry of Yulee, Florida, and Hannah McDaniel of Fitzgerald; and a great-grandchild, Remington Bradberry of Yulee, Florida. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Louise Sallette; a brother, Charles Jones; and two step-daughters: Cindy Fitzgerald and Neysa Mulkey.