Samuel Tipton Jones II

Samuel Tipton Jones II, 72, who practiced law in Chattanooga for more than four decades, passed away on Friday May 15, 2020 at his home surrounded by his wife of 28 years, Dottie, and the family he cherished. After fighting – and beating – cancer several years ago, the disease recently reemerged.

Sam, as he was known, was a free spirit, a passionate snow skier, and a fierce litigator. He was devoted to his family and especially to his grandson, Dylan Epperson and to a close group of sisters and cousins. As a young man, he was an Eagle Scout and an officer in the United States Army, but also displayed his convention-defying nature by – upon passing the Tennessee bar exam – immediately leaving for a lengthy skiing hiatus and work as a craps dealer in Lake Tahoe. Always very much an individualist, he was known for wearing sandals without socks at formal gatherings and sporting a dramatic bushy moustache.

He established his law practice in Chattanooga, specializing in medical malpractice and was known for his painstaking work on behalf of his clients. “Sam was an excellent lawyer,” said Andy Lewis, a colleague who frequently worked on cases with him. “He had earned and deserved the respect and admiration of other lawyers, his clients, judges and even people who were adversaries in his cases.”

He was a graduate of Tennessee Military Institute in Sweetwater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University Of Tennessee School Of Law. He was an elder at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Chattanooga and a trustee of the Presbytery.

Sam was in the fourth-generation of a prominent Sweetwater family, going back to the mid -19th century. His paternal grandparents were Oliver King and Byrd Browder Jones, and he was a long-time board member of Crescent Sock Company in Niota, which is the surviving element of the Jones family textile business in partnership with the Burn family. His maternal grandparents were Lulie and Erskine McKinley and his parents were Jackson T. and Sally McKinley Jones.

In addition to his wife, Dottie Bramble Jones, he is survived by his step-daughter, Melissa Heard, grandson, Dylan (Madi) Epperson, great-granddaughter, Aspen Epperson, step-son, Pete (Leigh Ann) Heard, grandson, Peyton (Kaitlyn) Heard and granddaughter, Molly Heard, and great-grandson, Benton Heard.

Sam is also survived by his sisters, Lulie (Herbert) Thomas, Tish Jones (Alex Rom-Roginski), and Sarah Jones (Tait Owens), special niece, Julia (Jason) McCoy, nephews, Holden (Chey) Thomas, Jackson (Haley) Thomas, Newton (Gemma) Thomas, and great nieces and nephews, and by a close knit group of cousins and kin: John M. Jones IV, Alex S. Jones, Gregg K. Jones, Edith S. Jones, Sarah Harbison, Chip Jones, Mary Underwood, Frank and John Mills, Marion “Pixie” Brown, Bo Benedict, Laurie Jones, Susannah Benedict, devoted friends, and his assistant and special friend of many years, Kay Bush.

“We were born nine months apart, and all our lives we were like brothers,” said his first cousin Alex S. Jones. “He was unique, both colorful and sweet natured, and he will be deeply missed.”

Due to COVID-19 a Celebration of Sam’s Life will be held at a later date to be announced.

The family asks that memorial gifts in memory of Sam be sent to First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 1505 North Moore Road, Chattanooga, 37411 or to the YMCA of Chattanooga, 301 West 6th St., Chattanooga, 37402.

Arrangements are under the care of Chattanooga Funeral Home Crematory and Florist East Chapel, 404 South Moore Rd. East Ridge, TN 37412.

Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com