Billy Maddox Jones died Sept. 4 at age 88, one of 11 children of Charles and Margaret Jones. He grew up a farmer’s son near Sylvester, GA, and was taught by his sister, Elise in a two-room schoolhouse. He began college, but excitedly enlisted in the Army-Air Corps at age 18 to begin his life-long dream of becoming a pilot. WWII called him to the Pacific and in the first frantic days there, he broke his neck in an aircraft accident and Japan surrendered. He came back to GA on a hospital ship to spend a year in a VA hospital. After healing, he continued a career as a pilot in the newly created U.S. Air Force. He completed law school with his brother, David at the University of Georgia and became a test pilot for Lockheed GA. He continued to fly in the Georgia Air National Guard and was appointed Adjutant General (10 yrs.) by Gov. George Busbee in 1975. He flew F4 Phantoms until his retirement after 40 years of military service. Following retirement, he moved to Washington, D.C. to become Deputy Asst. Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan for three years and enjoyed a career in commercial real estate later in life. His love of airplanes never ended and some of the planes he flew were the P-51 Mustang, F-84, F-86, F100, F-105, F-4 ,C-130, C-141, C-5, and Lockheed JetStar.
Billy was first and foremost a follower of Christ and after embracing the Gospel, he gave his whole life to it. He talked often of the fine preaching and insightful teachers in his Men’s Bible studies at his church. Fiercely loyal to God and country, he was pleased and humbled to become a deacon at age 80.
A man of few words, except when it came to business or politics, he remained the embodiment of a Southern gentleman. “When all is said and done, much more was said than done” is often quoted, but if Billy M. Jones said he would do something, it was completed, usually the same day.
He is survived by son, Jeff Jones (Merrie); grandchildren Zach, Meredith and Wyatt Jones; daughter Jennifer (Bobby) Rodgers; son, Sid Jones; sisters, Maurice Reese, Rosa Mitchell, and Carol Hobby.
Memorial service will be at 11 AM, Sept. 7, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church, 955 Johnson Ferry Rd., Marietta, GA with burial in Sylvester, GA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Calvary Children’s Home, 1430 Lost Mountain Rd, Powder Springs, GA 30127