HJ606: Celebrating the life of Louis Ray Jones.


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 606
Celebrating the life of Louis Ray Jones.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 6, 2023
Agreed to by the Senate, February 9, 2023

 

WHEREAS, Louis Ray Jones, a highly admired local business leader and a consummate public servant who made many contributions to the residents of Virginia Beach as a longtime member of the city council and a former mayor, died on June 18, 2022; and

WHEREAS, a graduate of The College of William & Mary and the Echols College of Mortuary Science, Louis Jones served the community as the owner of Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home & Crematory, ensuring that local families were treated with the utmost dignity, care, and professionalism in their times of need; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the Virginia Beach community, Louis Jones sought election to the Virginia Beach City Council and was campaigning for his ninth term on the council at the time of his passing; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones represented the residents of the Bayside District as a council member for more than 35 years and had served as mayor from July 1982 to June 1984 and again from May 2018 to November 2018; he also served as vice mayor from 2001 to 2018; and

WHEREAS, during his long tenure on the Virginia Beach City Council, Louis Jones was a trusted friend and mentor to numerous other local government officials and earned the admiration of his colleagues for his decisive leadership style, integrity, commitment to excellence, and unwavering passion for service; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones strove to enhance the quality of life of all residents of his beloved Virginia Beach by balancing responsible growth with the protection of the community’s natural resources, and he was a critical source of institutional knowledge in the region; and

WHEREAS, among his many achievements, Louis Jones played a vital role in the completion of the Lake Gaston pipeline project, which provides more than 60 million gallons of fresh water to Virginia Beach every day; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones represented the council and the community on a range of local and regional bodies, including the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Bayfront Advisory Commission, the Virginia Beach Development Authority, and many others; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his beloved wife of 68 years, Ellen; his four children and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Louis Ray Jones, a pillar of the Virginia Beach community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Louis Ray Jones as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 606

Offered February 1, 2023
Celebrating the life of Louis Ray Jones.
Patron-- Davis (By Request)

WHEREAS, Louis Ray Jones, a highly admired local business leader and a consummate public servant who made many contributions to the residents of Virginia Beach as a longtime member of the city council and a former mayor, died on June 18, 2022; and

WHEREAS, a graduate of The College of William and Mary and the Echols College of Mortuary Science, Louis Jones served the community as the owner of Hollomon-Brown Funeral Home & Crematory, ensuring that local families were treated with the utmost dignity, care, and professionalism in their times of need; and

WHEREAS, desirous to be of further service to the Virginia Beach community, Louis Jones sought election to the Virginia Beach City Council and was campaigning for his ninth term on the council at the time of his passing; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones represented the residents of the Bayside District as a council member for more than 35 years and had served as mayor from July 1982 to June 1984 and again from May 2018 to November 2018; he also served as vice mayor from 2001 to 2018; and

WHEREAS, during his long tenure on the Virginia Beach City Council, Louis Jones was a trusted friend and mentor to numerous other local government officials and earned the admiration of his colleagues for his decisive leadership style, integrity, commitment to excellence, and unwavering passion for service; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones strove to enhance the quality of life of all residents of his beloved Virginia Beach by balancing responsible growth with the protection of the community’s natural resources, and he was a critical source of institutional knowledge in the region; and

WHEREAS, among his many achievements, Louis Jones played a vital role in the completion of the Lake Gaston pipeline project, which provides more than 60 million gallons of fresh water to Virginia Beach every day; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones represented the council and the community on a range of local and regional bodies, including the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Planning Organization, the Bayfront Advisory Commission, the Virginia Beach Development Authority, and many others; and

WHEREAS, Louis Jones will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his beloved wife of 68 years, Ellen; his four children and their families; and numerous other family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Louis Ray Jones, a pillar of the Virginia Beach community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Louis Ray Jones as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.