Mr. Edwin D. Jones

Ed Jones completed the last leg of his long journey through this life on Monday, December 2, 2013 and went to his heavenly home, which he always knew would be his eternal reward. Failing health for the past couple of years had kept Ed from many physical and social functions; however, he stayed abreast of all the national, state, local and family activities. Ed was a true native son. He was born, raised, and lived in Albertville his entire life. He loved this community and felt very keenly it was his duty to make it better. He always wanted to leave it a better place than it was when he arrived. After graduating from Albertville High School in 1947, he attended Snead State Junior College, worked at his father’s business, in a grocery store, and then in a retail capacity until he began a job at American Rubber Plant. He worked there for many years and eventually left to enter the poultry industry. After a short time, Ed found his true calling and the career for which he was born. He joined New York Life Insurance Company in 1962 and really never left the company. It was his abiding passion and he felt it was his moral duty to make available to one and all the ability to provide for their families, their businesses, and their retirement years, and he earnestly believed with all his heart that life insurance was the perfect medium to use to reach those goals. Over the next five decades, Ed achieved many great things in his chosen career. He was the first in Marshall County to become a member of the Million Dollar Roundtable and went on to become a Lifetime Member of the Roundtable. He was the first agent in Marshall County to have a building dedicated exclusively to the business of selling and servicing life insurance. Ed received many accolades and attained the highest levels of achievement as a life insurance agent. He was extremely proud of the fact that his many clients were able to reach their personal financial goals, in part, due to the advice and guidance he was able to share. And, whether through death benefits, annuities, or other vehicles, his clients and their businesses and families were more financially secure and provided for. Plus, untold millions of life insurance-generated dollars came back into this community he so loved. In addition to his work life, Ed engaged in a full slate of community activities. He wasn’t a man of much leisure, but he enjoyed his many contributions to church, family, and community. Ed was the first president of the Methodist Men’s Club, a member of the Board of Stewards for the United Methodist Church, a president of the UMC Men’s Sunday School Class, and held many and various other offices during his sixty-five year membership at the Albertville First United Methodist Church. Ed helped to obtain the charter for the 1st State Bank and served on the board of directors of that bank. He was active in the Albertville Lion’s Club and served as their president, in addition to being a top-notch light bulb salesman! He served as the president of the Albertville School Board and was a very active and vocal advocate for the students of the district. He built a commercial chicken hatchery in the late ‘60s and obtained a Volkswagen International dealership for Albertville in the early ‘70s. Over the years Ed developed a subdivision and owned various real estate rentals in several counties. He also worked diligently to help the city of Albertville raise the funds to purchase the first ambulance for the fire department. Through all that time, along with his wife of 66 years, Donna Rhea Jones (née Craig), he built and made a stable and loving home, raised 3 children, and relished the joys of 4 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Ed married the one true love of his life on November 30, 1947. Ed and Donna went to high school together and, since they were mere children when they married, grew up together and then grew old together. They were always together, no matter what obstacles came their way. Ed is pre-deceased by his parents, Dyke and Louise (Decker) Jones, also longtime Albertville residents, and by his only sibling, Betty Ruth (Jones) Reed of Florida. Survivors include his loving wife, Donna; his daughters, Pat Phillips (Jack) of Sunriver, OR, Cindy Garrison (Robert) of Birmingham; and son, Ed Jones II of Albertville. Other family consists of grandchildren Robby Garrison, Katy Aderholt (Will), both of Birmingham; and Audra Jones and Winn Jones of Albertville. There are three great granddaughters, also of Birmingham. Two nieces and a nephew in Florida, and cousins scattered all over North America. The family welcomes all who knew Ed to join them for the visitation at Adams Brown-Service Funeral Home on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. and on Thursday for the services celebrating his life to be held at 2:00 p.m. at Albertville First United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in Ed’s memory to either St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142/Memphis, TN 38101-9908 or to Hospice of Marshall County—Shepherd’s Cove/408 Martling Road/Albertville, AL 35951.

Mr. Edwin D. Jones

October 24, 1929 - December 2, 2013