Rt. Rev. William A. Jones, Jr.

Published 6:21 pm Tuesday, October 13, 2020

he Rt. Rev. William A. Jones, Jr., of Kendal at Longwood, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Bill died peacefully on Sunday, Oct. 11. Born January 24, 1927 in Memphis, Tennessee, he graduated from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College), Yale Divinity School, and Virginia Theological Seminary. He served as an Episcopal priest at St. Mark’s Church in LaGrange and in churches in Pulaski, Tennessee; Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Johnson City, Tennessee. He was the Executive Director of ACTS (Association for Christian Training and Service) in the mid-1960s. In 1975, he was consecrated as the VIII Episcopal Bishop of Missouri. In 1992, Bill returned to his deep love of the parish ministry and served a year at St Margaret’s Church in Rainham, England. In his retirement, Bill continued his involvement in the Episcopal church in Tennessee, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.

At ACTS, he created a sixteen-denomination organization that engaged churches across the South in community action to address urban challenges. While he was Bishop of Missouri, Bill provided leadership to clergy and laity in changes to the prayer book, civil rights, and the ordination of women.

Wherever he lived and worked, and until his death, Bill was concerned with serving and working for the rights of those marginalized in our society. He was active in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s in the South; fought for funds to continue hospital services for people in need in inner-city St. Louis in the 1980s; and throughout his life continued to engage whomever he could in discussions about social justice. He was known for his personal and spiritual depth and strong leadership.

Bill and his wife Maggie (Margaret Loaring-Clark Jones) loved to travel, hike, and enjoyed music and plays together for 70+ years. Together they raised four independent, intelligent, compassionate daughters.

Bill is survived by his four daughters and their families: Beth Jones of Wilmington, Delaware; Marty Jones and her husband Fred Augenstern of Winchester, Massachusetts; Lu Johnston and her husband Andy of Wilmington, Delaware; Caroline Silva of Newton, New Jersey; and six grandchildren: Elise and Julia Augenstern, Neil (wife Alyssa) and Trish Johnston, and Ben and Will Silva. The family would like to thank all the caring friends and staff at Kendal and Home Instead who made Bill’s life meaningful and comfortable since 2000.

A celebration of life and burial will be private. The family would enjoy your memories of Bill online at legacy.com. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Southern Poverty Law Center, The Kendal at Longwood Staff Appreciation Fund or an organization in your community that most reflects your time spent with Bill.