Jerald E. Jones, 84, of Bridgeport, passed away Tuesday morning, March 21, 2017, in Charleston. He was born in Romance, WV, Jackson County on December 1, 1932, a son of the late Marshall W. and Adda Iman Jones.
He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Mary Lou Lovejoy.
Also surviving are three children, Jeffrey Jones and his wife Tamra, South Charleston; Perry Jones, Clarksburg; and Suzanne Lopez and her husband John, South Charleston; four grandchildren, Alexander and Hannah Jones, both of South Charleston, and Gabriella and Garrick Jones, both of Clarksburg; a brother, John Paul Jones and his wife Linda, Richmond, VA; and several nieces and nephews.
Jerry was a three-sport athlete at Ripley High School, playing football, basketball and baseball. He was an all-conference football and basketball player and was on the All-State Football Team in 1949.
He attended Marshall University on a football scholarship and obtained an A.B. Degree in 1954. Jerry, upon graduation from college, entered the United States Marine Corps where he served as an infantry officer. After active duty and Marine Corps Reserve time, he ended his military career as a Captain.
Upon leaving active duty, he attended West Virginia University College of Law where he was President of the student body and a member of the Board of Editors of the West Virginia Law Review.
Jerry came to Clarksburg after graduation from law school in 1959, and joined the firm as an associate with Deem & Marstiller, whose members were Fred B. Deem, James A. Marstiller, Edgar C. Siegrist and H. Laban White. He later became a partner in the firm, but in 1969 left the firm to form the new law firm of Jones, Williams, West & Jones, with W. Lyle Jones, David Williams, and James C. West, Jr., which later became West and Jones
Jerry was President of the Harrison County Bar Association in 1978; President of the West Virginia University Law School Association in 1981- 82; President of the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association in 1980-81; a member of the Board of Governors of the West Virginia State Bar and served as President of the West Virginia State Bar in 1993-94.
Jerry was a fellow of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers and holds the rank of Advocate in the American Board of Trial Advocates. He was a member of the first class to be inducted as a Fellow in the West Virginia Bar Foundation in 1999, which recognizes outstanding West Virginia lawyers as prominent in the profession and active in Bar activities.
In addition to the aforementioned Bar organizations, Jerry was also a member of the West Virginia Bar Association, the National Conference of Bar Presidents, the Southern Conference of Bar Presidents and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the West Virginia Bar Foundation.
He enjoyed playing golf and attending WVU sports events, being a season ticket holder for many years. He and Mary Lou enjoyed traveling abroad, in the Southern Caribbean, Central America, Europe, and Asia.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Jerry’s memory can be made to Clarksburg Mission, P.O. Box 1123, Clarksburg, WV 26302-1123.
Friends will be received at Burnside Funeral Home, 607 S. Virginia Avenue, Bridgeport, on Sunday from 1 – 4 p.m., where services will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 27, 2017. Interment will follow in Bridgeport Cemetery.