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Thornburg man honored for service Date published: 7/25/2006
One look at Fred Jones and you can't help but tell that the 78-year-old works with his hands. His fingers--long and thin like a piano player's--are attached to palms the size of a catcher's mitt.
Mr. Jones is a builder. The Thornburg resident has lived in Spotsylvania County for 40 years. He built shopping centers, churches and even wheel-chair ramps. And he's still working. Jones and his wife, Dorothy, have raised five children--four boys and a girl. "The Lord has blessed us," she said. Earlier this year, Fred Jones was honored by Bethlehem Baptist Church, where he is a trustee and longtime member. The Joneses have been married 54 years. Fred Jones built a successful business in his hometown of Freeman, which is between Lawrenceville and Emporia in south-central Virginia. His cousin enticed him to the Fredericksburg area. It was 1959 and things here were just starting to pop. "Not too much building was being done in Emporia," Dorothy Jones said. "So he left me and the kids in Freeman." After years of commuting back and forth on the weekends, Fred Jones moved the family to Thornburg in 1966. The area grew up around them. While Dorothy Jones laments the difficulty in getting out of her driveway onto busy U.S. 1 just south of the fire station, she does say the growth has brought some benefits, too. "We have Food Lion here and the bank is right here so it's more convenient." Fred Jones has been a part of that growth, too, helping to build the Greenbrier and Westwood shopping centers on State Route 3 and many of the area churches, including the Tower of Deliverance on Princess Anne Street. Fred Jones is pleased especially in the building's transformation, saying it's impossible to tell that it once was a 7-Eleven. Earlier this year, a committee at Bethlehem Baptist Church was trying to decide who to honor during Black History month. Organizer Alma Taylor didn't hesitate. "Let's honor Mr. Jones. We tend to forget our own," she told the committee. Fred Jones is a trustee and deacon at the church and sings in the men's chorus. When work needs to be done, he does it. "He has a smile and he's just so good with the young people," Taylor said. "When he got to the door [the night of the ceremony], the ushers handed him the program," Taylor said. "He was so surprised." Still mentoring, still working, will he ever retire? "Sure," Fred Jones said without hesitation. A visitor asks when. With a glance toward heaven, he said, "When Master says so." To reach ANNETTE JONES:
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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