Herbert W. Jones

JONES Herbert W. Jones age 77 of Dublin, passed away Sunday, September 13, 2015 at Riverside Hospital with his family by his side. Born November 14, 1937 to the late W. Ralph and Edith Jones in Chicago, Ill. Moved to Dublin, OH in 1946. Retired teacher from Columbus Public Schools after 35 years of service. Also, retired Firefighter after 31 years of service, Washington Township Fire Department. Along with his parents, he is preceded in death by infant son Jeffery Warren Jones and survived by his loving family; wife Leona M. Jones; son Scott A. Jones, both of Dublin; daughter Kimberly S. (Dr. Steven) Sparks of Clyde, OH; grandchildren Dustin (Michelle) Hill, Samantha (Eric) Heinsen, Maddison Griffin, Ian Sparks, Hannah Sparks; great-grandchildren Brody Heinsen and Jaxon Hill; brothers William Ralph (Linda) Jones Jr. and Thomas E. (Pat) Jones; many nieces and nephews; brother-in-law John R. Brown and sister-in-law Rosella Jordan. Graduate of Washington Local Schools (Dublin) 1955 and received his B.S. in Education from Otterbein College, 1959 where he was a member of the Otterbein College “O” Club. Received the Distinguished Teaching Award , IOTA Lambda Sigma, Alpha Gamma Chapter, 1989-1990. Served in the U.S. Navy Reserve for 8 years. Herbert was a volunteer and part-time firefighter (Captain) and was a State of Ohio Firefighter Instructor as part of his teaching career. Member of the Original Dublin Charter Commission, 1978; Historic Dublin Assoc. where he spent 11 years on the Board of Directors and member of the Dublin Historical Society. 63 year member of Dublin Community Church, 81 W. Bridge St. Dublin, OH 43017 where a Memorial Service will be held at 1:30 pm, Friday, September 18, 2015. Rev. Robert Tussing officiating. Family will receive friends one hour after the service at church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to, The Dublin Historical Society, Dublin Community Church, or Washington Township (Dublin) Fire department. With Herb’s in depth knowledge of Dublin and its history, you might assume he was born and raised here like many of our older members but it turns out that is not the case. Herbert Warren Jones, named after both of his grandfathers, was born on November 14, 1937, in Chicago. In 1946, Herb was in third grade when the family, including Herb and his two brothers, moved to Ohio because his dad was transferred to Columbus to open up the regional office of the Pure Oil Company. They came to Dublin to live because a friend of Herb’s dad had a house they could rent. The stone house stood just west of the 1919 Building near the Indian Run Falls. In high school, Herb was part of two very successful teams. The football team, which he captained, was named All-County in his senior year in 1955 and the baseball team was runner-up for the state championship. Herb’s senior advisor, Bob Browning, was in the Naval Reserves and convinced Herb to follow suit while in college. He served for eight years and was stationed at the Port Columbus Naval Air Station. He also influenced Herb to pursue a teaching career. Herb attended Otterbein College and graduated in 1959. He played football at Otterbein for three years, under the coaching of Bob Agler. He also was a volunteer firefighter for Washington-Perry Township Fire Department (attaining the rank of Captain) a service he performed for the next 31 years! Although his distinguished teaching career spanned 35 years, it was quite diverse. He got his first teaching job at Jonathan Alder High School in 1960, where he taught the sciences and was assistant football coach. He then moved to Dublin for the next three years and coached football and junior high basketball, after which he moved to Columbus Public Schools and stayed for 29 years. Herb was asked to start a vocational program to encourage students to enter police or firefighting careers, which he did. Herb was also a State of Ohio Firefighter Instructor, as part of his teaching career. Herb has firefighters “all over” the country that went through his training program, including several members of the Dublin Fire Department. In 1989-1990 Herb received the Distinguished Teaching Award form IOTA Lambda Sigma, Alpha Gamma Chapter, in recognition of his outstanding work. Herb’s community service goes well beyond his firefighting work however. He was appointed to the Dublin Charter Commission in 1978, a group responsible for moving from governing by mayor to city manager. He served on the Cemetery Commission for 10 years. He was on the Name the Schools Committee for the Dublin City Schools to name Pinney, Jerome, Karrer, and Bailey schools. He was an ambassador for the Dublin Convention and Visitors Bureau and a Volunteer for the City of Dublin. In 1995 he and Leona were Grand Marshall’s of the Fourth of July parade and he was the Grand Leprechaun of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in 2002. In 200? He and Leona were honorees at the Dublin Fund’s Emerald Celebration Ball. Perhaps Herb’s greatest ‘claim to fame’, however, is the work he has done to preserve the history of Dublin. He has had a huge impact through several channels, including his 11 years on the Board of Directors of the Historic Dublin Association, and a member of the “Historic Dublin Revitalization” program that was responsible for sidewalks and new street lights. He has been part of the Dublin Historical society since it was formed in 1974. Herb has been president for many years, now. Besides the Coffman House, which now stands as a tribute to the work of the Dublin Historical Society and is open for tours for school children and adults, there are two other projects that have been created to capture Dublin and its history and Herb has been a part of both of those. One is a Mills James video production, “Reflections of Dublin,” 1998-1999, and Herb was the assistant director of that project. The second is the City of Dublin’s history book, “Dublin’s Journey,” and Herb served on the editing committee for the early sections from the 1800s to 1950. The idea for the book germinated a few years back when Herb, then City Manager Tim Hansley and then Mayor Chuck Kranstuber had a vision to publish a book of Dublin’s history. On many fall and spring mornings, you will still find Herb guiding groups of third graders through the historic streets of Old Dublin, fondly and vividly sharing stories that bring history alive to all present. The tour continues at the Coffman House and barn. Herb talks about how much Dublin has changed over the years since he has lived here but he is very passionate about the mission of the Dublin Historical Society. “Our charge is to protect and educate,” he says. “We want to perpetuate it (Dublin’s history) as long as we can.” His winning smile, twinkling eyes, and impish personality reflect his passion for preservation of Dublin’s history so that it is even contagious to young children. What a gift that is to our community for now and for the future!

Herbert W. Jones

November 14, 1937 - September 13, 2015