Former Emmitsburg Presbyterian Minister R. Benjamin Jones, 80, passed away, Friday, February 24, at his home in Hagerstown.
Born July 20, 1936 in Sparrows Point, MD, he was the son of the late Ralph and Julia (Sellers) Jones. He was a Presbyterian minister, a teacher and an artist.
In addition to his parents, Ben was predeceased by his first wife, Audrey (Magosh) Jones and his brother, Robert E. Jones, both in 1987.
He is survived by his wife, Rebecca (Hays) Jones; their children, Susan Noffsinger and husband Tim; Ann Low and significant other Kirk Winders; David Jones and wife Jane; Terree Brncick and husband Greg; Laura Weimer and husband Dan; Cindy Kelley and husband Mike; grandchildren, Tara
Wynkoop and husband Doug; Laura White and husband Greg; Lauren Arbid and husband Ramzi; Ryan Low; Jennifer Jones; Daniel Alexander Jones; Kate Noffsinger; Annie Noffsinger; Lindsay Brncick; Ali Weimer; Emma Kelley; Sarah Kelley; Rebecca Kelley; Laura Kelley; great-grandchildren, Michael Wynkoop; Grayson Wynkoop; Carolyn Mercer; Alyssa Salters;
brother, Henry Jones and wife Betty; brothers-in law, Thomas Hays; Robert Hays and wife Terree. And many nieces and nephews.
Ben began his education at the Maryland Institute of Fine Arts in Baltimore, Maryland. He then attended and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. He spent the next four years at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He was a pastor at churches in Pittsburgh, Hagerstown, Taneytown and Emmitsburg prior to his retirement from the
ministry in 2006. He continued his painting career and his art shows at Hagerstown Community College, donating a percentage of each show's proceeds to the college Foundation to establish scholarships for students. Through Ben's faith in God and love of the arts he was able to touch the lives of so many people.
Ben was a board member of the Washington County Council of Fine Arts, an honorary board member of the Barbara Ingram School of Fine Arts, a contributor to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts where a retrospective of his work was shown in 2011, a former board member of the Washington County Free Library, a former instructor of Sacred Studies
at St. James School, and for many years, an adjunct professor in the Humanities at the Hagerstown Community College.
Services were held March 4 at St. John's Episcopal Church, 101 South Prospect Street, Hagerstown with the Rev. Peter Keith officiating. Interment was in the Emmitsburg Memorial Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jones Family Scholarship at the Hagerstown Community College Foundation, 11400 Robinwood Dr., Hagerstown, MD 21742, The Emmitsburg Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 74, Emmitsburg, 21727, or The Emmitsburg Memorial Cemetery, C/O Eric Glass, 16117 Tom's Creek Church Rd., Emmitsburg, MD 21727.
