On October 29, 1929, the stock market crashed. It was a dark day for many, and the
beginning of the Great Depression. However, on Monday November 3, 1930, a ray of
sunlight shone brightly in Whiteville, North Carolina, and my dad, JOHN HENRY
JONES was born. Although his father died while he was very young, and his mother,
the late Mother Carrie Jones, desirous of a better life, relocated to Baltimore, she left him
in the capable hands of her three sisters, Gussie, Rosie, and Irene, who instilled in him
the gentlemanly qualities that he would be known for throughout the rest of his life.

"Shorty", as he was affectionately known, in and around Whiteville, Eagle Rock and
Zebulon, North Carolina, left school at an early age to help out on the farm and often
recanted stories about having to hang tobacco in the barn to dry, shucking peas, chopping
wood for the stove and bringing in water from the well. However, life on the farm in
rural Eastern North Carolina was not all gloom and doom. He often talked about those
home cooked southern meals and the fact that everything came straight from the garden
or off the farm.

In 1957, longing to break free from the segregated south, he set out on foot for Baltimore,
walking mostly, hitchhiking when he could, sleeping under bridges and in barns until
he was reunited with his mother who was living in Walbrook Junction. He often spoke
about the perils of sleeping outdoors amongst the raccoons, foxes, rattlesnakes and

various and sundry other of God's creatures. .

My dad soon found love, and on February 21, 1960, after a brief courtship, he was
united in holy matrimony to my mom, the former Bertha Mae Jackson. From this union,
two sons Alan Eugene and Thomas Erwin Jones were born. He was a hardworking and
devoted husband and father, often working two and three jobs to support his family.
Initially working as a custodian for the Board of Education on 25th Street, and on TV Hill,
he later found the transportation industry to be more to his liking as he had a passion for
driving. He drove for Ryder, International Harvester and the A&P Supermarket, all while
learning the auto mechanic trade.

During the later part of the 60's, he became employed at Bethlehem Steel and worked
on the infamous Blast Furnace. In the mid 70's, he would eventually find his niche as
an auto mechanic for Montgomery Ward, and finally for Sears, Roebuck and Company,
where he retired in 1985.

On December 19, 1981, he married the former Pastor Ruby Martin. This union lasted
"until death us do part" on August 18, 2004. During their 22 1/2 years, they enjoyed
retirement together, in addition to working together in ministry; and he continued to
pursue his lifelong passion for biking, and along the way, he developed an interest in
rollerskating, eventually joining the Low Riders Club in th