More detail on this person: LUTHER GRIFFIN JONES, JR. Luther Griffin Jones, Jr. passed away on March 3, 2002. He was born on June 18, 1916 in McCrory. His parents were Luther Griffin Jones, Sr. an Nannie Pearl Porter Jones. He is survived by his beloved wife, Dorothy McIntosh Sheehan Jones; children, Luther Griffin Jones III (Lynn), Neva Jean Honeycutt (Douglas), Drue Combs (Ken) and Walter Sheehan (Cathy); seven grandchildren, Tracy Wyn Jurek (Tim), Victor McCrory Dobro (Amy), Luther Griffin Jones IV, John Taylor Jones, Katherine Banning, Sean Sheehan and Andrew Sheehan; great-grandchild, Whitney Marie Dobro; brothers, Joe Jones (Lanita) of Virginia Beach, Va., John Paul Jones (Lu) of Little Rock and Earl Jones (Vivian) of Newport; and a sister, Pearl Gardner of Franklin, Tenn. Mr. Jones spent his young years in Wynne where his father was a signalman for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. When he was in high school, his parents moved to Newport, where he graduated from Newport High School in 1934. He began his worklife with the railroad and at Plunkett & Jarrell Grocery Company. He also worked as manager of a local gas station in Newport. He loved to tell the story of entering the Army as a Private at the "invitation" of his local draft board during World War II. He attended Officer Candidate School, was commissioned, and rose to the rank of Colonel. He served honorably for 29 years. He knew the importance of education and while serving his country actively in the Army, he was able to attend night school and achieved both a Bachelor's degree in Military Affairs and a Master's degree of International Affairs. He had grown to love Corpus Christi during his military service and decided to stay. Funeral service is 3 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church at 900 Shoreline Blvd. in Corpus Christi with military Honor Guard interment to follow at Seaside Memorial Cemetery. Luther Jones remembered Longtime mayor was an elder statesman who loved the city and believed in education Tears fell and the flag flew at half-staff at Luther Jones Elementary School Monday, as teachers, other employees and students remembered their school's namesake. 'The mayor' Former Corpus Christi Mayor Luther Jones, who died Sunday of kidney failure at age 85, touched many through his four terms as mayor, and on Monday his memory permeated the thoughts of those he had met. Sadness and tender thoughts spread from City Hall across town to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. At Luther Jones Elementary, Principal Galen Hoffstadt wept as she gazed at photographs that hung on the concrete walls of the school. But she did her best to pull back the tears as she spoke to her students, many of whom never knew firsthand about death. A teary-eyed but poised fifth-grader, Kimberly Prowse, said her saddened class will miss the man who congratulated them on work well done and preached to them about the importance of becoming leaders. "It was nice to have him with us, and we're going to miss him a lot," she said. "It is hard to think that he is not here anymore." Jones showed his dedication to the school by never missing a graduation. "At every event, he shook hands with everybody," Hoffstadt said. "He made sure he said hello, shook hands and made eye contact with every individual who came through the campus." During recent weeks, students were building a monument to Jones. Inscribed on the five sides of the monument will be the words most often used to describe Jones: Integrity, Honesty, Perseverance, Success and Victory. "I can picture him and exactly what he'd do. He'd be smiling. He'd have that twinkle," third grade teacher Mari Whitworth said. "He was such a positive person." The same sense of loss and sentiments felt at Luther Jones Elementary School swept through Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, a school that Jones helped craft through relentless lobbying of the state Legislature. Improving education and providing more learning opportunities was one of Jones' core values, friends said. University President Robert Furgason knew Jones well. He said that without the former mayor's efforts the school would not exist as a four-year university with masters and doctoral level studies. "He was a fantastic supporter of education and this university in particular," Furgason said. "He certainly was a man of vision. He had a lot of wisdom, and his positive attitude. And when you put all of those together, then he was the kind of guy who really made things happen." Jones' legacy And former colleagues at City Hall said it is the university that will seal Jones' legacy, although he was not the kind of man to do things to build a legacy, said retired Assistant City Manager Tom Utter. "Twenty or 30 years from now, somebody might not know Luther Jones did it, but they will know they have it better," Utter said. Jones' reputation as a consensus builder also permeated his friends' thoughts. Former colleagues at City Hall still refer to Jones as "The Mayor," and they remembered him as a tough but fair politician who had an undying love for the city. They said he had a knack for pushing through unpopular measures with a father-like nudge that was both firm and gentle, never raising his voice but always making his intentions known. In 1983, when the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund challenged the city's election process, Jones called the two sides together for mediation and coaxed lawyers and city officials to move forward with a compromise. The result, a modified single member-district plan, changed the face of city politics and gave minorities more representation in city government. City's elder statesman "Through his sheer force of will, he said, 'We've got to come up with an agreement,'" Utter said. "He wanted to make sure everybody in the city was treated equally." He was also a man who stood by his word and lived his life according to the standards he set for the rest of the community. "When Luther Jones' name comes up, I think of a guy who provided the positive leadership to the community. He was one that not only talked the game, but played it," Furgason said. "He gave his heart and soul to the things that he thought had to be done, and certainly this university is one that he contributed his heart and soul to." One of Jones' few political ads showed him holding hands with a little girl, the youngster looking up at the mayor and the mayor gazing down upon her. Utter said that image showed the sentiment many people had for Jones, who will forever be remembered as the city's elder statesman, Utter said. "Many people saw Luther Jones as their grandfather," he said. Jones also gave chances to people who might not otherwise have had an opportunity. Jones appointed Armando Chapa city secretary in 1984, making Chapa one of the first Hispanics to hold a senior position in city government. "He always called me Mr. Chapa," he said. On the wall in Chapa's office hangs a photo of Jones swearing him into the position. Just opposite that photo is one of Chapa and Jones standing arm-in-arm. Jones signed the photo: "To Mr. Armando Chapa, A dedicated city secretary and public servant, Luther Jones, Mayor." Affixed to the frame is a seagull lapel sticker, a symbol that epitomized Jones' pride for his city, colleagues said. Jones always carried an ample supply of the small sewn stickers in case he met someone who didn't have one or who had lost one. "He'd buy them by the roll, and just keep them in his pocket," Chapa said. "Everywhere he went, he'd just pin them on." 'He'll be smiling' Utter also was the recipient of countless seagull stickers. At one time, Utter had to take his car to the shop to have the seatbelt retractor fixed. When the mechanic opened the winding mechanism he quickly found why it had stopped working: the seatbelt had ripped so many seagull stickers off his lapel, they had jammed the seatbelt. "If he saw you without a seagull, he'd put two on you," Utter said. And it is that undying love and pride for Corpus Christi that Jones will be remembered for, friends said. "He gave back to this community many times over," Utter said. "Luther Jones will be up in heaven, and he'll be smiling." Survivors include his wife, Dorothy; two sons, Luther Griffin Jones III and Walter Sheehan; two daughters, Neva Jean Honeycutt and Drue Combs; three brothers, Joe, John Paul and Earl Jones; a sister, Pearl Gardner; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild. Graphic: Services * Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at Seaside Funeral Home, 4357 Ocean Drive. * Funeral services will be at 3 p.m. Wednesday at First United Methodist Church, 900 Shoreline Blvd. Burial will be in Seaside Memorial Park. * Memorial gifts may be made to Avance Center, 4626 Weber Road, or Primera Iglesia Bautista, 1509 Tarlton, Corpus Christi, 78404 or to the charity of your choice.
Burial information: Seaside Memorial Cemetery, Corpus Christi, TX
This information was last updated 01/11/2019
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