John Paul Jones was born on September 22, 1934, in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, to Ralph and Alice Jones.  He was a member of First Lutheran Church in Ft. Smith, and attended Lutheran School through 9th grade.  He later attended North Side High School and was on a championship basketball team his junior year.  After graduating high school in 1952, he played for the Ban Johnson Summer Baseball League in Oswego, Kansas and the team won the state championship.  He also played basketball for Conners Jr. College, Warner, OK and New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces.

He graduated from NMSU in 1956 and began working for the El Paso Natural Gas Company.   There he met the love of his life, Jerri Young, and they were married at Zion Lutheran Church, El Paso, 58 years ago!  After working for EPNG for six years, he and his family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he attended Tulsa University Law School, and graduated with a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree. He worked in private practice for three years and returned to EPNG in 1970.

He was active in the church, he loved to shuttle the kids to and from their different events, he loved to play golf, and he was an avid reader and sports enthusiast who loved his Arkansas Razorbacks!  After 35 years, he retired from EPNG and continued to enjoy outings with his family and playing golf with many friends. Upon moving to Murfreesboro, TN in 2008, he became a member of Grace Lutheran Church. He loved to work outdoors, especially driving on the riding mower.

One of the biggest joys of his life, was the adoption of his daughter, Stephanie. He doted on his children and grandchildren, writing letters of encouragement and backing them up with Bible verses.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Alice Jones, and survived by his loving wife, Jerri Jones; daughter, Joilyn George (Tracy), of Rockvale, TN; son, James Jones and daughter Stephanie Jones, both of Murfreesboro; brother Gordon Jones of Plano, TX; grandsons, Benjamin George, Parker, and Quentin Jones, all of Murfreesboro and numerous nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 6, 2018 at Grace Lutheran Church, 811 E. Clark Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.  A reception will follow the service in the fellowship hall.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Grace Lutheran's Capital Campaign and an online guestbook is available for the Jones family at www.woodfinchapel.com