Obituary for Fred Rudder Jones Sr.
Fred Rudder Jones, Sr. passed away peacefully at home on the St. Johns River, on January 25, 2022 with his family by his side. Fred was born on November 30, 1927, the second son of three to Coleman and Mae (Rudder) Jones of Palatka, Florida. He grew up in Palatka and attended Mellon High School until his senior year when he, his younger brother Tom, and cousin Hal Jones, Jr. attended the Tennessee Military Institute in Sweetwater, TN. While there he earned the Cadet of the Year award.
Following TMI, he followed his uncle Fred Rudder’s footsteps by graduating from Vanderbilt University where he majored in Chemistry and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. This was back in the day when Vanderbilt actually won football games which Fred enjoyed attending. After graduation in 1949 he took a job as a lab technician at Oliver General Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where he met the love of his life, Mary Jo Ammons, whom he married in August of 1950. They spent the next 70 years of their lives together before Mary Jo passed away in May 2020.
Fred and Mary Jo moved to Palatka in 1954 when he joined his father and older brother Coleman, Jr. in the family farm operation. He was able to use his chemistry degree in the growing of potatoes, cabbage, corn and blueberries and helped make the farm a success. He returned to the First Presbyterian Church of Palatka which he had joined while growing up. He and Mary Jo were both long-time, active members of this congregation and ordained elders of the church. They raised their four children in this church. Once the children had grown up, Fred and Mary Jo enjoyed serving as church youth group advisors, mentoring many young lives, hosting events and trips for them and keeping track of them for the many years to follow.
Once retired from active farming, Fred served for a while as manager of the Hastings Potato Growers Association and North Florida Growers Exchange and thus continued to serve the farming community. Fred also finally had more time to pursue other interests such as photography, painting, playing the piano, and hybridizing daylilies. He and Mary Jo also enjoyed traveling within the U.S. (often camping) and travel abroad. Despite the face Fred often wore in public, he had a quick wit and great comical timing. The family will miss this facet of him immensely and will think back with gratitude for all the laughs our family shared over the years.
Survivors include children Susan Mowery (Douglas) of Fernandina Beach, FL, Linda G. Jones of Young Harris, GA, Mary Kay Payne (Billy) of Palatka, Fred Rudder Jones, Jr. (Lynn) of San Mateo, FL, grandchildren (Marc (Deirdre), Fran, Michael, Ryan (Laura), Tyler (Abby), Emma, Josh (Ashlee), Heather) and great-grandchildren (Mia, Addison, Maclen, Emory, Joshua, and Maggie). He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by his family. The family wishes to thank Karrie Gill who has taken such good care of Fred and for being a great laugh and dance partner over these past months and Inez Browning for her expert medical skills and friendship while caring for both Fred and Mary Jo.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday February 5, 2022 in the First Presbyterian Church at 2:00 pm. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm. The services will also be livestreamed and may be accessed at the First Presbyterian Church of Palatka Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the First Presbyterian Church, 123 S 2nd St. Palatka, FL, 32177.
Memories and condolences may be expressed to the family at Fred’s Book of Memories page at www.johnsonoverturffunerals.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to Johnson-Overturf Funeral Home in Palatka.
Following TMI, he followed his uncle Fred Rudder’s footsteps by graduating from Vanderbilt University where he majored in Chemistry and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity. This was back in the day when Vanderbilt actually won football games which Fred enjoyed attending. After graduation in 1949 he took a job as a lab technician at Oliver General Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, where he met the love of his life, Mary Jo Ammons, whom he married in August of 1950. They spent the next 70 years of their lives together before Mary Jo passed away in May 2020.
Fred and Mary Jo moved to Palatka in 1954 when he joined his father and older brother Coleman, Jr. in the family farm operation. He was able to use his chemistry degree in the growing of potatoes, cabbage, corn and blueberries and helped make the farm a success. He returned to the First Presbyterian Church of Palatka which he had joined while growing up. He and Mary Jo were both long-time, active members of this congregation and ordained elders of the church. They raised their four children in this church. Once the children had grown up, Fred and Mary Jo enjoyed serving as church youth group advisors, mentoring many young lives, hosting events and trips for them and keeping track of them for the many years to follow.
Once retired from active farming, Fred served for a while as manager of the Hastings Potato Growers Association and North Florida Growers Exchange and thus continued to serve the farming community. Fred also finally had more time to pursue other interests such as photography, painting, playing the piano, and hybridizing daylilies. He and Mary Jo also enjoyed traveling within the U.S. (often camping) and travel abroad. Despite the face Fred often wore in public, he had a quick wit and great comical timing. The family will miss this facet of him immensely and will think back with gratitude for all the laughs our family shared over the years.
Survivors include children Susan Mowery (Douglas) of Fernandina Beach, FL, Linda G. Jones of Young Harris, GA, Mary Kay Payne (Billy) of Palatka, Fred Rudder Jones, Jr. (Lynn) of San Mateo, FL, grandchildren (Marc (Deirdre), Fran, Michael, Ryan (Laura), Tyler (Abby), Emma, Josh (Ashlee), Heather) and great-grandchildren (Mia, Addison, Maclen, Emory, Joshua, and Maggie). He was dearly loved and will be greatly missed by his family. The family wishes to thank Karrie Gill who has taken such good care of Fred and for being a great laugh and dance partner over these past months and Inez Browning for her expert medical skills and friendship while caring for both Fred and Mary Jo.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday February 5, 2022 in the First Presbyterian Church at 2:00 pm. Visitation will begin at 1:00 pm. The services will also be livestreamed and may be accessed at the First Presbyterian Church of Palatka Facebook page.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the First Presbyterian Church, 123 S 2nd St. Palatka, FL, 32177.
Memories and condolences may be expressed to the family at Fred’s Book of Memories page at www.johnsonoverturffunerals.com.
Arrangements are entrusted to Johnson-Overturf Funeral Home in Palatka.