Jerry Jones, who developed communitywide contacts through decades of business acumen, civic mindedness, and warm enthusiasm, died Friday in the Cleveland Clinic. He was 76.
He was dealing with heart problems, his family said, and learned two weeks ago that he had amyloidosis, a condition in which protein fibers build up in tissues and organs.
“He was truly a kind-hearted man and a tremendous salesman. Remarkable personal skills,” said John Robinson Block, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Blade. “He was truly a good man. He was a wonderful friend of mine for 40 years.”
Mr. Jones of Maumee retired from The Blade in July, 2001, as a retail advertising supervisor, overseeing major accounts and key out-of-town retail customers.
“He had one of the most amazing personalities of anybody I’ve experienced in my life, certainly in Toledo and at The Blade,” said Allan Block, chairman of Block Communications Inc., which owns The Blade.
As a retail advertising intern in the mid-1970s, Allan Block saw Mr. Jones in action — and noticed the impression he left on customers. “I saw how outstanding this guy really was,” he said. “He was a very talented individual.
“Jerry was an example of a positive personality triumphing over real adversity,” Allan Block said. “He grew up in the Jim Crow South. He never talked about that.”
Mr. Jones’ focus, whether dealing with major retailer Montgomery Ward or local family-owned Dolgin Jewelers, was “on helping people and doing his best to get his customers the best service,” daughter Bridgette Jones said.
Daughter Michelle Szabo said: “He loved people and loved to help them.”
Mr. Jones in retirement founded Woodlands Consulting Group, a business consulting firm.
“Jerry Jones knew everyone,” Allan Block said. “He was more busy after he retired, with business dealings and representing people who wanted to be connected in Toledo.”
Those contacts took in public and private sectors, faith communities, and labor unions. He was credited with having the connections needed to bring the Detroit-area chain PizzaPapalis to downtown Toledo.
Mr. Jones through the years served on the boards of United Way of Greater Toledo, the American Red Cross, and the Toledo Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. He’d been a member of the Lucas County Improvement Corp. executive committee and the 22nd Century Committee, a public-private partnership to revitalize downtown Toledo.
He also was a ProMedica board member.
“Jerry Jones was a long-time trusted adviser and dear friend to many of us at ProMedica,” Randy Oostra, ProMedica president and chief executive, said in a statement. “He served on several ProMedica boards and provided support on numerous philanthropic initiatives. He always had his finger on the pulse of the Toledo community and was deeply committed to helping others.”
An ordained minister, Mr. Jones presided at the 2011 wedding of Allan and Susan Block, which took place at Cornerstone Church in Maumee. He also served as an adviser to Bishop Michael Pitts, Cornerstone’s founder and leader. Mr. Jones’ contacts aided in Cornerstone establishing a downtown Toledo campus.
“He was a good counselor to me, and adviser,” Bishop Pitts said. “Whenever you left him, you were the better. You felt you were the beneficiary of the time you spent.”
Mr. Jones was chosen as the moderator in 2013 for the first in a series of forums, “Changing Minds and Changing Lives: Combating Racism,” sponsored by The Blade and the Toledo Community Coalition.
“He was a wise man,” said Bishop Robert Culp, retired chairman of the community coalition. “He could sense and see people’s situations quite well. He understood business principles, but he also had a wonderful spiritual quality about him. He believed in people, but he also believed in himself.”
Mr. Jones was born April 26, 1941, in Demopolis, Ala., to Della and Isiah Jones, and grew up in Mobile. After high school, he was a pitcher for a year for a minor league team affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
He was an Army veteran and attended the University of Toledo. He started with The Blade in 1967 in classified advertising sales. He left in 1969 to take a sales job with Toledo Scale. He returned to the newspaper in 1974.
“He found this area to be very progressive, and [it] gave him opportunities he would not have had down South,” daughter Bridgette said.
Surviving are his wife of 54 years, Ann Jones; daughters Bridgette Jones and Michelle Szabo, and three grandchildren.
Arrangements are pending.
Contact Mark Zaborney at mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.
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