Paul Ray Jones, Sr.

Ray was born in McDowell County to Lewis Glenn Jones and Sarah Margaret Huffman Jones on December 10, 1935.

Ray finished high school at Marion High School in 1954. He later attended Clevenger College, which was a trade school in Marion before becoming McDowell Tech.

Ray joined the United States Marine Corp in 1954 after graduation and took his basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. He later took “cold weather” training in California before going to Japan, this was during the latter part of the Korean conflict. Ray’s training was in “firing the big guns”.While in Japan, he was then transferred to the office staff. He spent fourteen months in Japan then transferred to Marine Corp headquarters at Camp Lejeune.

Ray married Gale Hilton in 1956 and they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2016.

After four years of service in the United States Marine Corp, Ray, Gale and their son Paul Ray Jones, Jr. moved back to Marion, North Carolina in August 1958. Ray then got a job at the American Thread. Ray started out as a yarn carrier, but worked his way up. He retired as a supervisor with forty years of service.

Ray made many friends at the thread plant and after retiring enjoyed meeting and talking with them about their time of working together.

During retirement, Ray enjoyed painting. He painted the sanctuary of the East Marion Pentecostal Holiness Church all by himself. He also painted the fellowship hall and the parsonage. Ray helped his son Paul Ray, who lives in Virginia, paint two churches that was just getting started. He loved his Lord and Savior and was a faithful worker that served the Lord in many ways. He was a deacon for a number of years until his health began to fail, but even then, he witnessed and encouraged many people. He attended the East Marion Pentecostal Holiness Church all his life. He was always helping the youth, teaching, helping serve meals, helped out with plays and a lot of other activities.

Ray also loved his children and grandchildren and after retiring, he helped his son Steve pick up his grandson Bud at school or even building Lego’s with Bud. He will be truly missed and was greatly loved.

Ray and Gale were blessed with a son, Timothy Lee Jones who died at age 6 in 1967. Ray was also preceded in death by a brother, Glenn (Cotton) Jones who also died in 1967.

Left behind to cherish Ray’s memory are his wife Gale Jones, a son Paul Ray Jones, Jr. and his wife Nancy of Virginia; son Stephen (Steve) Jones and his wife Shannon of Marion. He also is survived by a granddaughter, Amy Koch and her husband Greg of Virginia, grandson Matthew Jones of Virginia and grandson Hilton Bud Jones of Marion; great-grandson Ashton Jones, great-granddaughter Eden Koch. Ray had a brother-in-law, Jack Wood and his wife Patti and nephew Andy Wood and numerous nieces and nephews. Five sisters, Doris Freshour, Beulah Suttle, Frances Green Conner and her husband David, Faye Conner and husband John and Patricia Morgan. Ray also had a brother Donald Jones and his wife Patricia.

A funeral service to honor Ray’s life will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. in the chapel of Beam Funeral Service with Reverends Chuck Tripp and Terry Wiler officiating. The family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Interment will take place after the service at McDowell Memorial Park where he will be buried by his son Timothy.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Molly’s Fund c/o Crestview Veterinary Hospital, Inc., 1341 North Main Street, Marion, North Carolina 28752 or East Marion Pentecostal Holiness Church, 900 Baldwin Avenue, Marion, North Carolina 28752.