Obituary: Michael Ridgway Jones, Sr., 78, of Loganville

Michael Ridgway Jones, Sr. passed away at home in Loganville on June 7, 2020 after a short illness. A native of Franklin County, Georgia, he was born on May 20, 1942 in Royston at the Ridgway Clinic, graduated from Hart County High School in 1960, and received his B.B.A. in Marketing from the University of Georgia in 1963. He also attended Georgia State University, taught at Loganville High School from 1967-1973, and received a J.D. from Woodrow Wilson College of Law in 1973. June 1, 1967 entered apprenticeship E.A.
He dearly loved his adopted hometown of Loganville, which he called home for over 50 years. He practiced law in Monroe and Loganville from 1973 until earlier this year, was a member of the State Bar of Georgia Board of Governors for over 30 years and was a past president of the Walton and Alcovy Bar Associations.
He was a fixture in the legal and political life of Loganville and Walton County. He was Mayor of Loganville for eight years and returned to politics as a Loganville City Councilman for four years from 2012-2016. He was past Chairman of the Republican Party of Walton County, past Chairman of the Board of the O’Kelly Memorial Library, and was instrumental in founding the Loganville Chamber of Commerce, the original Loganville Downtown Development Authority, and was a founding member of the Loganville Legacy Lions Club.
He was a long-time member of Loganville First United Methodist Church, where he served in a number of lay leadership positions, including as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He was a member in good standing of the Fergus Lodge #135, Free and Associated Masons, Loganville since 1967, and was also a member of the Shriners and the Order of the Eastern Star.
He was deeply involved in the Boy Scouts of America, serving as Assistant Scoutmaster of Loganville Troop 535 for many years.
A loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and uncle, he was preceded in death by his parents, the late Thomas Clair Jones, Sr. and Polly Ridgway Jones of Canon, Georgia, and his twin sister, Sylvia Jones Hess, of Stone Mountain. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Ann Ray Jones of Loganville; his son, Michael Ridgway Jones, Jr. and son-in-law, Jonathan Scott Parris of Atlanta; his son Austin Owen Jones and daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Campbell Jones of Loganville; his two beloved grandsons, Owen Walker Jones and Oliver Austin Jones; and his brother, Thomas Clair Jones, Jr. and sister-in-law Maurya Sullivan Jones of Canton, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Loganville First United Methodist Church, 221 Main St., Loganville, GA 30052 or to Canon United Methodist Church, c/o Louise Bennett, P.O. Box 51, Canon, GA 30520. Arrangements by Tim Stewart Funeral Home, 670 Tom Brewer Road, Loganville, GA 30052. 770-466-1544. Please sign the online guest registry at www.stewartfh.com