Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

His family, friends and community knew him as someone who gave back. Bobby Jones dedicated his life to serving others. He did that through local politics, providing support whenever it was needed and also through the dairy farm he owned and operated. 

Now, a year after his passing, his family wants to continue that tradition of giving back in his memory. 

In his memory, there will be a presentation at the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, June 25 at Sharon Baptist Church in Rice. When he passed, Jones had left donations to be given to Sharon Baptist Church, Rice Volunteer Fire Department, Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad and Fuqua School. During the service, a donation will be presented to the church, the fire department and the rescue squad. Fuqua received theirs earlier this year. 

“Sharon Baptist Church was his home church he attended his whole life,” said Carolyn Jones, his sister-in-law. “He was also very devoted to the Rice Volunteer Fire Department and Prince Edward Volunteer Rescue Squad.”

This donation comes at a later date to allow Jones’ daughter who currently lives in California to be able to come and be in attendance for the presentation. According to Carolyn, this will be just a small part of the service as something to keep his memory alive.

“Bobby was just a nice guy,” she said. “He would be so embarrassed we told anyone about this. He was very humble.”

More about Bobby Jones

Bobby grew up on Poor House Dairy Farm in Rice and was a graduate of Prince Edward Academy. He loved living on the farm and chose farming as his career, eventually owning the dairy farm we mentioned earlier. That came after he graduated from Virginia Tech, bringing home a degree in Dairy Science and taking over the farm in 1981. Throughout the next 41 years, he was able to expand the farm and the herd to milking around 200 cows per day. Bobby practiced conservation of natural resources as he expanded his operation and in 2016 was awarded the Virginia Clean Water Farm Grand Basin Award.

Bobby also served on the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors, representing the Lockett District since 2000. By serving more than 21 years, he was by far the longest-serving current member at the time of his death. He was known for giving to others, always treating everyone he met with kindness. On Sunday, May 15, 2022, Bobby Jones passed away in a car accident. 

For those who knew Bobby Jones, these donations are not a surprise as he lived his life dedicated to serving others. Throughout the years, Bobby was a part of the Prince Edward Planning Commission, the Prince Edward and Nottoway branch of the Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Farmers Cooperative, the board for Colonial Farm Credit and the Prince Edward Ruritan Club. 

Even though his time was spent in many directions, his friends and family say he always gave all his effort in whatever he was doing.