Dr. Gordon W. Jones, Sr.

Funeral services for Dr. Gordon W. Jones, Sr., 93, of Lufkin will be held Wednesday, March 27, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Mark A. Newton officiating. A reception will follow the service in the Carroway Family Reception Room. A private family burial will be held in the San Augustine City Cemetery.

Dr. Jones was born December 14, 1930 in San Augustine, Texas to the late Eva Luthenia (McDaniel) and Lathom Casey Jones, and died Friday, March 22, 2024 at his residence.

Gordon was born and raised in San Augustine. His father, Casey, was a pharmacist who worked for and later owned San Augustine Drug Store. Casey was the inventor of the store’s famous Grapefruit Highball, which is still sold there today. Gordon’s mother, Eva, was a school teacher and artist whose primitive landscapes and flowers were widely collected. She was a graduate of the Stephen F. Austin State Teachers’ College.

After finishing high school, Gordon attended Stephen F. Austin State University as well as The University of Texas at Arlington. Upon graduation, Gordon was accepted into the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. After earning his M.D. degree, he set up his practice in Pineland, Texas, serving as the town’s sole physician. Gordon was drafted into the military but, without his knowledge, was deferred when the leaders of the town pleaded with the draft board to leave their beloved doctor in place. It was in Pineland that Gordon met and fell in love with his future bride, Dorothy Hardy. Dorothy had earned her R.N. degree and was working for a local ophthalmologist. After a whirlwind romance, the two became man and wife on March 9, 1958 and have been married for 66 years.

After the birth of their first son, Gordon Jr., Dr. Jones decided to pursue a specialty in radiology. The Jones family moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where Gordon entered a residency to become a radiologist. After completion of his residency and education in 1962, the three moved back to Lufkin where Gordon became Lufkin’s second radiologist and the first radiologist to work at Woodland Heights Hospital. In the following years, Gordon and Dot had two more boys; Byron, born in 1963, and Reagan, born 10 years later in 1973. For 34 years, Gordon served as the head of the Woodland Heights Radiology Dept. until his retirement in 1996. He would have practiced longer, however he chose to retire early due to being diagnosed with macular degeneration.

After retirement, Gordon and Dot moved to the Ayish Bayou area of Sam Rayburn Reservoir, where they had previously built a camp house in 1967. The camp was remodeled into a lovely home and they enjoyed many wonderful years together in the quiet solitude of lake living, frequently entertaining friends and family while enjoying Dot’s culinary expertise.

Although Gordon was a man of great accomplishment, he reveled in the simple pleasures of family, fishing, quail hunting and reading. His lifelong love of fishing carried him from the local banks of Sandy Creek to the shores of the Chandeleur Islands and up to the rivers and streams of Alaska. He was one of the early members of the Lufkin Bass Club and served two terms as its president. His love of quail hunting became his obsession during each year’s bird season. Macular Degeneration may have robbed him of his sight, but his love of reading and learning never faded as he spent much of his time listening to audiobooks. His favorite author was Louis L’Amour. Gordon was also an audiophile and amateur deejay. His love of music included playing his guitar and writing songs and poetry. Gordon touched the lives of so many people in East Texas and will forever be remembered for his wisdom, ideals, kindness, sense of humor, quick wit, and his wonderful smile.

Survivors include his wife of 66 years, Dorothy Jones of Lufkin; sons, Gordon William Jones, Jr. of Galveston, Byron Thomas Jones and wife Beth of Lufkin, Reagan Wesley Jones of Austin; granddaughter, Elizabeth Jones of Lufkin; and numerous other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Lendell Jones.

Honorary pallbearers will be Dr. Twila Wade, Dr. Bill Kent, Dr. Bill Kistler, Dr. Jerry Spinks, Dr. John Wood, Dr. John Oglesbee, Dr. Viv Brooks, Gary Sims, Burnice Blackstock, and John Harvey Butts.

The family will welcome friends and loved ones from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon prior to the service.

Memories and condolences may be added, and live webcasting of the services may be viewed, at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.

Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.