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Dr. Milnor Jones

Dr. Milnor Jones

Feb. 19, 2013

Dr. Milnor Jones, 87, died Tuesday night, Feb. 19, 2013.

He was born in Athens on March 14, 1925, and was a son of the late Billie Dodson and the late Cyril William Jones Sr., both formerly of Athens. He was preceded in death by one brother, Cyril William Jones Jr., formerly of Athens; one sister, Patricia Jones Galloway and her husband, Gordon, formerly of Nashville; and one son, Cyril William Jones III, formerly of Big Piney, Wyo.

He was a lifelong member of St. Paul\'s Episcopal Church of Athens. He attended Forest Hills Elementary School in Athens and was a member of the graduating class of 1943 from the Tennessee Military Institute of Sweetwater.

Following high school, he attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville, graduating in 1948 from the pre-med program. He completed his medical internship and surgical residency through Emory University, working at Grady Hospital in downtown Atlanta, Ga.

He returned to Athens in August 1953 and joined the staff of Epperson Hospital. He is believed to be the first surgeon between Chattanooga and Knoxville to be board-certified by the American College of Surgeons.

He practiced general surgery and internal medicine until his retirement in December 1989. During his tenure, he assisted in the sale of Epperson Hospital to the Hospital Corporation of America. This merger modernized the Athens medical community, the heart of which is now Athens Regional Medical Center.

He was very active in a variety of organizations. His leadership roles included being chairman of the Athens City Schools Board of Education for nearly 30 years, a director and chairman of the board for First National Bank of Athens and its subsidiaries for more than 20 years, and a former president of the Tennessee Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. In retirement, he continued serving Athens in a variety of local organizations that were very close to his heart.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Miriam Conner Jones of Athens; two daughters, Miriam Jones DeGrandi and her husband, Tom, of Manchester, Conn., and Camille Jones Turner and her husband, Don, of Nashville; one son, Jonathan Milnor Jones and his wife, JoAnn, of Memphis; one sister, Caroline Jones Ascher and her husband, Rick, of Oak Park, Ill.; five grandchildren, Miles and Emma DeGrandi, Cyril Turner and Paul and Andrew Jones; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at Smith Funeral & Cremation Services.

A memorial service will be 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul\'s Episcopal Church with Fr. Hendree Harrison officiating. Burial will follow in Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice or to: St. Paul\'s Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 326, Athens, TN 37371; Athens Area Council for the Arts, 320 N. White Street, Athens, TN 37303; McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, 372 W. Madison Avenue, Athens, TN 37303; E.G. Fisher Public Library, 1289 Ingleside Avenue, Athens, TN 37303; United Way of McMinn & Meigs Counties, P.O. Box 1681, Athens, TN 37371-1681; or Tennessee Wesleyan College, 204 E. College St., Athens, TN 37303.

If you are unable to attend this service or visitation, sign the guest register at www.jerrysmithfuneralhome.com

Smith Funeral & Cremation Services of Athens is serving the family of Dr. Milnor Jones.