Gary Joe Jones' Obituary
Gary Joe Jones, born March 12, 1943 in Bellefontaine, Ohio, went Home to Heaven to be with His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on September 13, 2017. “Honey” to his wife, Judy, of 51.8 years; “Pops” to his two children, Debi of Gainesville, Florida and Brad of Orlando Florida; “Papa” to his two grandchildren Addy and Cale; “Big Brother” (and a few other names) to his sister, Linda, in Kentucky; “Coach” to the hundreds of young men he coached in high school football and the young men and women he coached in track field events for 30 years; and “Teacher” and “Assistant Principal” to the students with whom he interacted at Taylor University, Findlay High School Ohio, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Satellite, Martin County and Vero Beach High Schools in Florida; he consistently modeled the life of a man whose first love was Jesus and his second love his family whom he loved and supported unconditionally throughout his life.
After receiving a full scholarship to play football at Ohio State University and then transferring to Taylor University where he competed in football and track, garnering many accolades and awards including Hall of Fame, he committed the remainder of his life to coaching, teaching, mentoring and loving young men and women. They spent hundreds of hours in his home at Fellowship of Christian Athletes meetings at every school where he served besides in individual times on and off the fields. His mission trips to the Dominican Republic and Ukraine, his volunteer coaching and mentoring after retirement, attending college games of former players, teaching Sunday School classes, and opening his home to students and athletes to live or just chill for a while all spoke to the man he was.
He was preceded to heaven by his brother Bill, with whom he played and coached in Ohio, and parents Joe and Margaret whose company he is enjoying today.
In lieu of a memorial service, for which many in storm ravaged Florida would try to travel, his family desires that each who loved and knew Gary spend time reading the book of John in the Bible with their family and supporting their local high school teens in some capacity.
Coach’s brain, which was ravaged by Lewy Body Dementia in the last few years of his life, has been donated to the Boston University Medical School Brain Concussion Study. Anyone who wishes to give a memorial is encouraged to donate to that study or to the Taylor University Scholarship Fund.
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