- Date Of Birth: August 2, 1940
- Date Of Death: April 27, 2020
- State: Mississippi
Gladstone Nathaniel Jones, Jr, known by many as G. N., who served as Wayne County Attorney for 35 years, passed away peacefully at Brookwood Villa in Waynesboro, Mississippi on Monday, April 27, 2020. Born in Waynesboro, Mississippi on August 2, 1940, G. N. was 79 years old.
As a young man G. N. was an outstanding student and football star in Waynesboro. After high school G. N. attended Columbia Military Academy in Columbia, Tennessee to prepare himself for playing guard on the offensive line at Mississippi State University. G. N. transferred to the University of Mississippi for his junior year of college where he was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Pi Sigma Alpha and received his B.A. degree in 1961. G. N. then entered the University of Mississippi Law School where he was elected by his law school classmates as Vice-President of the Law School Student Body, served as an officer of Ole Miss for President John F. Kennedy, served on the Moot Court Board, Speaker’s Bureau, elected Treasurer and President of Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity and was editor of the 1964 Graduate Brochure. After graduating from law school in 1964, G. N. accepted a position in a prestigious Jackson law firm and began his career and family there with the hope of, one day, becoming Governor of Mississippi.
Tragically, on the morning of June 6, 1965, during a weekend trip to Waynesboro, G. N. and his uncle, Woodrow Jones, experienced an automobile accident south of Clara, Mississippi. Woodrow Jones sadly was killed in the accident; G. N. survived but sustained debilitating injuries and spent many months in a coma. Once he emerged from the coma and after a grueling rehabilitation, G. N. learned to walk again and overcame severe memory loss which included much of his legal training. G. N. returned to Waynesboro after many months of rehabilitation ready to start life over by practicing law in Waynesboro.
G. N. decided to run for Wayne County Attorney in 1967. The position was held by the highly respected attorney, Louie Bishop. With the incredible support of the people of Wayne County, and on the heels of recovering from the accident, G. N. was elected in a landslide victory. Upon winning the election, Louie Bishop in a grand act of compassion, graciously offered to help G. N. learn the workings of being County Attorney and spent months teaching and mentoring G. N. in his newly elected position. G. N. was most grateful to the people of Wayne County for electing him in that first election and deeply grateful to Mr. Bishop for the training and support he provided. G. N. went on to be elected to seven more consecutive terms with no opposition. He retired from serving as County Attorney in 2003 after approximately 35 years of service. In addition, G. N. was on the Board of Directors for the Wayne County Forestry Association for eight years and was a lifetime member of the Wayne County Rotary Club.
In retirement, G. N. enjoyed time on his family farm in Clara and trips to the Mississippi Gulf Coast with his wife of 35 years, Nina Jo Jones. G.N. adored Wayne County and cherished, over the years, his many mornings at the coffee shop with friends. He was immensely thankful to the people of Wayne County who supported him through all the years, after his tragic car accident and various bouts with cancer.
G. N. was preceded in death by his mother, Ruth Nester Jones; his father, Gladstone N. Jones; former wife and mother of his son, Gladstone N. Jones III, Sandra Scarbrough Kramer. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Nina Jo Dyess Jones; son Gladstone N. Jones, III and his wife Amanda Jones; granddaughter Charlotte Olivia Jones; stepdaughter, Sonja Moody Brown and her husband Lonny G. Brown; stepson, Gregory Robert Moody and his wife Michelle Moody; in addition to four grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
