Funeral services will be held next week for Westminster Schools coach and teacher Gary Jones, whose body was found Sunday in Lake Oconee after a monthlong search.
A celebration of life for Jones, 50, will be held from 5-8 p.m. March 20 at Dortch-Williamson Funeral and Cremation Services in Riverdale, according to his obituary.
The next day, his funeral will take place at 11 a.m. at Elizabeth Baptist Church on Cascade Road in South Fulton. Officials said the funeral will be live-streamed at https://elizabethbaptist.org/col. He will be buried at Lincoln Cemetery at 2275 Joseph E. Boone Boulevard, according to the obituary.
Jones’ body was recovered Sunday from the east Georgia lake, about 100 yards from where the body of his fiancée, Spelman College instructor Joycelyn Wilson, was located a month earlier. The couple vanished Feb. 8. when Jones’ small fishing boat was spotted circling the lake north of the Wallace Dam that afternoon.
The extensive search included officers from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia State Patrol and Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by volunteers. The body was eventually found by a Wisconsin-based search expert.
The Wilson family said it was heartbroken following the discovery of Jones’ body, but relieved that his family can now properly grieve, according to a statement on behalf of the families from Cecilia Cheeks, their official spokesperson.
The couple, who were set to be married, had a love that “created a special bond between our families in a cherished way,” the family statement said.
“During this incredibly difficult time, the Wilson family extends our heartfelt condolences to Gary’s family, as we share in the profound grief of our collective unimaginable loss. That love that Joycelyn and Gary had symbolizes the unity and strength that can connect families, even in tragedy,” the statement added. “We join the Jones family in honoring both Joy and Gary’s memory and the bright future they dreamed of together. We respectfully ask for privacy as both families continue to grieve and find comfort.”
On Monday, Westminster students and staff gathered at McCain Chapel on campus to mourn and honor Jones’ “profound impact” on the “community and beyond,” the school wrote on social media.
The school said Jones built a legacy of “kindness and service” for more than two decades by actively engaging his students as a middle school science teacher, eighth grade basketball coach and the head of the track and field program.
“In this time of grief, we are grateful for our community’s incredible resilience and support as we lift each other up through prayer,” the school said.
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