Charles Curtis Jones

Charles Curtis Jones, 68, of Greensboro, passed away early Tuesday morning, April 14th. He was the son of the late Charles Albert Jones and the late Mary Winifred (Winnie) Jones. Curtis was preceded in death several years earlier by his wife Sharon Bell.

If you were Curt’s kin or friend, you experienced his heart of gold. That’s because Curt’s way of love was love in action. He was a born nurturer. He helped his mother regain her health after a near fatal illness, enabling her to return to a nursing profession for fourteen more years. He was the sole caretaker for his wife Sharon during years of a debilitating illness, allowing her to remain at home rather than at a medical care facility. When a lifelong friend’s beloved dog passed away, he flew from his home in California to North Carolina to comfort her. Then a week after his return to California, he boarded a plane back to North Carolina to see that friend through an unexpected hospital stay.

Curt was a man of many joys. He loved music and was a talented musician. He played piano and his Stratocaster guitar, and was a singer with a beautiful baritone voice. In the summer of ’69, he drove the family VW bug to Woodstock and had “the time of my life!” Las Vegas was a favorite get-away spot for him, he was always ready for a game of Texas Hold’em. He also loved to cut up and have a good time. He excelled at repartee, with a sharp, dry wit. You had best be on your toes if it came to wordplay with Curtis.

Curt loved nature. He traveled to the Redwood Forest. He loved the ocean and swam, rough or calm. He tended his gorgeous rose garden, picking some at their prime and arranging them artfully, often sending photos to friends and family. Hummingbirds thronged his backyard from morning to dusk. Deeply spiritual, he spoke of these things as gifts from, in his words, “my Lord.”

A conversation with Curt was a treat. He was knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects, including world events, economics, and politics, and contributed to many causes, all dedicated to improvement of the environment, government, human progress, and animal welfare. If there was a need, he would always help out. In 1989, when Hurricane Hugo hit, Curtis went on his way to the coast of South Carolina to help with clean up and reconstruction.

Curt’s long battle with health issues revealed his tremendous strength and courage, prompting him to live with the keenest appreciation for each day. He passionately loved life, even when it brought him difficulty. He cherished each day and would walk around his California neighborhood with his music playing, waving at everybody sitting on their front porches. He would dance around the kitchen with his headphones on, serving coffee even as he masked his pain. He let his sweetheart take him out to dinner and took on both waiter and manager when his crab plate fell short, declaring strongly, “I’m not going to let her buy me a bad meal.”

Curt is survived by his dearly beloved sister Wendy, his advocate throughout his life and constant companion and helper during recent months; his stalwart brother Richard, who took Curt to many treatments at Duke, as well as anywhere else Curt wanted to go; his cherished niece Emmy, who considered Curt more a father figure than an uncle, and who along with her friend Trinity, helped Curt arrange his apartment when he returned to Greensboro; his much-valued nephew Mason, who stood by to assist in any way he could; his brother-in-law Jeff, who built furniture Curt needed for his apartment, hung paintings, and lent a strong arm to Curt at the most crucial of times. Curt is also survived by a host of extended family and friends who will treasure his memory forever and who are comforted by Curt’s understanding of love, compassion, tenderness, and kindness as daily practices. While adventurous ,fun-loving ,some would say “wild,” and a bundle of high voltage energy, Curt’s legacy for those who knew him can be summed up as this: In the depth of his soul, he was gentle, kind, caring, and compassionate.

A gathering will be held at a later date, so his friends and loved ones can safely celebrate his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Guilford County Animal Shelter in his name – address: 4525 W. Wendover Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27409.