JC Roy Jones

Roy was born on June 28, 1924, in Red Bay, Itawamba County, Mississippi, on the Mississippi/Alabama state line, to James Syburn Jones and Myrtle Velula Estlee Hargett Jones. He was only two years old when his Father passed away and his Mother was left to raise five young children, Roy being the youngest child, while also managing the farm. He spent his childhood and teenage years in Red Bay working on the family farm which raised and sold cotton. He attended school until the 8th grade, at which time, he had to leave school and help his Mother and siblings out on the family farm. In 1943, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the United States Army and served his Country during World War II.

He served as a Corporal in the 9th Infantry Division of the United States Army, nicknamed the “Old Reliables,” and they were among the first U.S. combat units to engage in offensive ground operations during World War II, under the command of General Omar Bradley. Roy participated in campaigns in North Africa, Sicily, Central Europe and Normandy, landing at Utah Beach. He received numerous decorations and citations during his service, one of which was a Purple Heart. He left the U.S. Army on August 16, 1945, a little over three months after Germany surrendered and just a few days before Japan surrendered and World War II finally came to an end. He had contracted tuberculosis toward the end of his service duties and was discharged and sent to Fitzsimmons General Hospital in Denver, Colorado, where he spent four months recovering from his illness. During his long hospitalization in Denver, he met a fiery, caring and beautiful young red headed woman named Anna Lou McCoy from Pampa, Texas, who was attending college in Denver, and charmed his way into her heart. After Roy recovered from his illness and Anna Lou graduated from Colorado Women’s College in Denver, they were married on October 17, 1947, in Pampa, Texas.

While residing in Pampa after marriage, Roy and his bride managed a small motel owned by her parents and later moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where their first child, Brad Cameron, was born in May of 1954. Shortly thereafter, Roy and Anna Lou moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where Roy started a construction business and began building homes. He built the home in which he, his wife and son lived and where his second child, a daughter, Vickie Ann, was born in December of 1956. He moved his family to Austin, Texas, in February of 1963, and continued to build homes for a few years before getting involved in numerous real estate ventures, owning several properties around Austin and the surrounding area.

In 1964, he and his family joined Tarrytown Baptist Church where they were members for over 50 years. Roy and his family lived in Tarrytown until 1996 before moving from Austin to 40 acres near Elroy where he lived with his wife of 69 years, Anna Lou, who passed away at their home on November 26, 2016. He continued to live in his home near Elroy until his death.

Roy enjoyed waterskiing on Lake Austin and driving the boat while his children skied. He enjoyed hunting with his son on the family ranch near Palmetto State Park, south of Luling, Texas, which he named “Trails End” and enjoyed riding and breeding horses with his daughter. He loved horses, dogs and cats and had several throughout his lifetime, all of whom loved him, as well. He was always on the go, never stopping long enough for the dust to settle on his boots. Roy enjoyed working on his tractor in the pasture surrounding his home or down on the ranch getting the fields and roads mowed and ready for deer season. He also enjoyed being on his riding mower in his yard keeping everything looking good and the grass cut so he could keep an eye out for rattlesnakes! He would always tell everyone that working in the yard or being on his tractor was “his therapy” and that he needed to be moving and getting things done. His latest project was working in what he called his “museum,” a large storage building at his home where he had started accumulating all of the antiques and various curiosities and items he had collected over his long lifetime so they could all be in one place!

Roy is survived by his son, Brad Cameron Jones, of Elroy; his daughter, Vickie Ann Jones, of Dripping Springs; a large number of much loved, furry, four-legged grandchildren; his nieces and nephews and his great-nieces and great-nephews in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and California, all of whom he loved dearly and who brought him much joy throughout his blessed and well-lived life. Roy will be remembered for his brave service to his Country during World War II, his love of God, and, most of all, his never-ending love for his family. He was, and will always remain, an inspiration to those who knew and loved him.

Special thanks to Drew and Lori Johnson, his neighbors, who visited often bringing him sweet treats and helping with tractor repairs; to his doctors, Stanley Wang, M.D., Paul Coffeen, M.D. and Nathan Pekar, M.D., all of whom cared for him with great compassion and respect. Additional thanks to the doctors and nurses at the VA Clinic in Austin whom also cared for and showed great respect to him for many years.

A graveside memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, July 7, 2023, at Austin Memorial Park, 2800 Hancock Drive, Austin, Texas, with interment following the memorial service. The service will also be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqGtNzOejjY.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wcfishnorth.com for the Jones family.