Alston "Al" Jones

Alston (Al) Gray Jones, 89, passed away peacefully at Forsyth Memorial Hospital (Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center) on Monday, February 7, 2022. He was a resident at The Oaks at Forsyth. Al was born August 4, 1932, in Forsyth County to the late Jack Jones and Madeline Jones. Al worked for the Journal and Sentinel newspaper for 41 years from where he retired. He was a member of Salem Baptist Church. Al was an avid fan of baseball, especially when he talked about the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. Al was drafted into the army in 1953 where he served at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana until 1955. He knew no strangers and was known as the mayor of British Woods. He was the loving husband of his high school sweetheart, Elvie Sealey Jones. It was love at first sight! Al knew the moment he saw Elvie, they would get married, and so they did…. the day after they graduated from James A. Gray High School. They dated for 4 years before they were married, and they were married for 65 years. He was also a loving father to Jeffrey Gray Jones, and Gary Scott Jones. In addition to his parents, Al was preceded in death by his wife, Elvie and his youngest son Scott. Al is survived by his brother, Bobby Glenn Jones (Nancy) and sister Diane Magaraci (Sam), his oldest son Jeff (Judy), five grandchildren Michael Jones (Christina), Catherine Snow (Jeff), Sarah Jones (Kevin Miller), Andy Jones (Rachel), and Casey Jones. He is also survived by several great grandchildren. You could always look for Al on the baseball field. He coached Little League baseball for 15 years at South Little League. He helped to mentor many young men through his years of coaching. He also loved animals and had a number of dogs, cats and even several chickens! Al took great pride with his involvement in negotiations for the Mailers’ Union at the Journal.  He truly believed in union and labor rights. A graveside service will be held at 2:00 PM Wednesday, February 9, 2022, at Woodland Cemetery with Pastor Roger Bailey officiating. The family will receive friends from 12:30 to 1:30 PM before the service at Hayworth-Miller Silas Creek Chapel. The family request that COVID mask protocols be followed during the visitation. Als’s family would like to take a moment to thank the staff at The Oaks, especially Pam, his PA. They were very caring and attentive. We would also like to thank the staff at Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center for helping him through his final days. A special thanks to Dr. Raparla for keeping us informed on a regular basis with passion and kindness. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to South Little League, Inc. 810 W. Clemmonsville Rd. Winston-Salem, NC 27127. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.