Terry Jones, a true friend has passed away…

It is with great sadness that we report the passing away of our dear friend Terry (Terrel M.) Jones, 71, of Houston on Saturday the 19^th of November 2005 after a long illness. He had been the coordinator of the Pipelines Symposium of the OMAE conferences for many years.  He was a one-time Naval Academy midshipman, a Fulbright scholar, a rocket scientist and later petroleum engineer until his retirement in 1992.  His studies and work took him all over the world.  He was a 50-year member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and dedicated himself to volunteerism in a wide variety of areas including ASME scholarship and other programs.  He was a founding member of the Cypress Creek Friends of the Library and was instrumental in the building of the Barbara Bush Library in Houston.

He was a patron of the arts and a strong supporter of public broadcasting, local theatre and music, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of manhattantheatresource.  He is survived by his sister, Harriett Jones Allie of Montgomery, Alabama, his daughters Christine Jones Kestner of Summit Point, West Virginia, and Cheryl Fiona Jones of New York, New York and two granddaughters, Dorotea Flores-Kestner and Rebecca Roberts of Summit Point, West Virginia.  He will be missed for his wit, humor, compassion and generosity. A memorial service was held Wednesday the 23^rd of November at 10:00 at the Barbara Bush Library in Houston.

“A dear friend and colleague has passed on.”  “We must say farewell to a true gentleman.”  These quotes touch on the thoughts and feelings of well over 100 friends and colleagues who attended the memorial service.  The words used most often include “honorable”, “sincere”, and “diligent”.  Terry was a “truly nice person” who was “thoughtful, generous, and kind to others”.  “It was a pleasure and honor working with him.”  His “unimposing leadership” reflected both his strength and his modesty.  His “tolerance” made him a sounding board for ideas.  His “selfless support” drove his teams to prosper and succeed. 

His “presence” was the glue of our group.  “We surely treasured the time we spent with him.” “We will all miss Terry for his good humor and for his spirit.”  “It was a great honor working with him.”  “Volunteers of Terry's caliber are rare, so this is a great loss also to us.”  “Terry was a very good man.”  “We learned a lot from him and we will miss him dearly.”  “Few of us knew his personal struggles, he was a very courageous man.”  "Terry, thank you for your friendship, you will always be with us."

 Your Friends and Colleagues

OOAE Division of ASME