A Life Lived: Claud Jones was known for his generosity and love for people

Published 1:57 pm Tuesday, April 18, 2023

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Claud Jones had a big heart and he was known for his generosity and love for people.
“He was an excellent husband and was very good to his family. He was a quiet, loving person and could do about anything he set his mind to do,” said his wife of 58 years, Dare Jones.
Claud was born and raised on Buck Mountain and never forgot his roots. Dare said Claud enjoyed going back to the mountain to visit with some of the older folks who still lived there. “Often at Christmastime he would make or buy fruit baskets to take to them,” Dare shared.
When the couple first married they lived for a time in Hammond, Ind., but moved back to Elizabethton to take care of Claud’s mother, who lived with them six years before her passing.
The couple lived on Fitzsimmons Hill Road and had excellent neighbors. Claud worked and retired from the Elizabethton Water Dept. Claud had a number of hobbies including woodworking, cooking, and hunting. “He could make good cube steak and he loved biscuits and gravy. He could cook just about anything, and whatever he made was tasty and good,” said Dare.
His favorite hobby was woodworking. He made breadboxes, potato boxes and his favorite fun thing to make was small wooden candy dispensers, which he gave to the kids – usually filled with candy.
Claud also enjoyed making picture frames of wormy chestnut. “When it came to his picture frames, he was a perfectionist. They had to be just right,” said Dare.
Claud enjoyed hunting. He hunted turkey and deer. “He enjoyed going to the mountains better than going on vacation. The mountains were a special place to him,” Dare shared.
Claud and Dare did not have any children of their own, so he loved on his nieces and nephews. “They were special to us, and I don’t think Claud could have loved his own children better than he did his nieces and nephews. They were special to him, and they returned the love. He really loved his family. A nephew, Terry Barker, often went hunting with him,” Dare said.
When sitting around at home, Claud enjoyed watching old westerns on TV, and he loved the Mountain Men program.
Claud was a member of Biltmore Baptist Church. He didn’t accept Christ until later in life, but he loved his church family. “He was a quiet person, and he was a good, caring man. He did a lot for people. He didn’t brag about it. Just doing for others was his way of life and showing love,” his wife said.
Claud Jones died April 1 at the age of 88, and he surely will be missed.
Claud Jones was a special person to a lot of people. Through his kindness he left his mark on a lot of people. Claud Jones proved you don’t have to make a lot of noise to do good or be loved. He was simply a hardworking man, who used his talents to help others.

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