LTC. David W. Jones

LTC JONES, David William (USA RET)
Lt. Colonel David W. Jones, U.S. Army (Retired), (89 y.o.) of Charlottesville,
VA died March 20 at home from pancreatic cancer.
He was born in Coaldale WV, on November 18, 1928, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Theodore R. Jones. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife
(Elizabeth Cromer Jones) and by one son (David Austin Jones).
Survivors include his son Stuart C. Jones and his wife, Melissa H. Jones, and
grandson Austin B. Jones of Moseley, VA; his sister, Phyllis Jean Nelson of
Christiansburg, VA; his nephews, Archie E. Cromer III of Harwood, MD,
Charlton A. Cromer of Christiansburg, Edward L. Nelson of Blacksburg and
one niece Valanda L. Nelson of Christiansburg.
His father worked for the Norfolk and Western Railroad and was stationed
in West Virginia when David was born. At age eleven his family moved to
Christiansburg. David graduated from Christiansburg High School in 1945.
A member of the Cadet Corps and ROTC, he graduated from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, class of 1949. He married his college sweetheart,
Elizabeth Louise Cromer, in August 1949.
After graduation he was called into service for the Korean War, which he
spent training new recruits at Fort Bliss, Texas. After the armistice, he briefly
worked at his father-in-law’s furniture store before rejoining the Army. He
was stationed in Germany and later at VPI as an ROTC instructor. He
earned his Masters in Business Education from VPI in 1955. In 1961 he
volunteered for assignment to Korea. He liked the country and took
classes in Korean language and culture while there. In 1965 he was
appointed to the Army General Staff (Ordinance). In 1967 he was
deployed to VietNam where he served with the First Logistical Command.
The highlight of his career came in 1970-1972 when he served as Chief of
Maintenance DIO (III Corps) at Fort Hood, Texas. He retired from active
duty in 1975.
He was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, and he Meritorious
Service medal (w/ Oak Leaf Clusters) among others.
After his military retirement, David continued his service to national
defense as a civil servant at the US Army Materiel Command
in Alexandria. He retired from the civil service in 1995 whereupon he
moved with his wife to the Charlottesville area.
He was an active member of the VPI Alumni Association, the NRA, The
Heritage Foundation and The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). He
attended the 2014 EAA annual convention in Oshkosh WI.
Arrangements – The funeral will be held on Saturday, April 7 at 11:00 am,
at Horne Funeral Home at 1300 North Franklin Street in Christiansburg.
( www.hornefuneralservice.com ). The family will receive visitors at the
funeral home on Friday evening, April 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.