Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

October 14, 2026

Neal Thomas Jones was called home to be with his Lord on October 14, 2026. Born May 3, 1926, in Buechel, KY, to Thomas R. Jones, Sr. and Lucille Amelia Yann Jones, Neal was the oldest of four siblings.

He attended Columbia Bible College, where he met Betty Adams of Dothan, AL. Drawn to her beauty, intelligence, and charm, they married on June 28, 1949. He later graduated from Texas Christian University and Southwestern Theological Seminary.

Neal felt the call of God upon his life at an early age and surrendered wholly to that calling going on to serve faithfully as a pastor for more than 80 years in Texas (Murphy, Vernon, Greenville, and Dallas) and Virginia (Falls Church).

The true measure of Neal’s ministry, however, is written not in denominational records but in the transformed lives of the people he touched at the most sacred thresholds of their earthly journey. Over more than eighty years of faithful service, Neal had the holy privilege of carrying out Christ’s great commission: leading, teaching, baptizing and making disciples of thousands of new believers, officiating at the weddings of thousands of couples, and ministering to thousands of bereaved families, proclaiming with unwavering conviction the blessed hope of the resurrection .

Neal also served on the Executive Trustee Boards of Prison Fellowship Ministries, Baylor University and Howard Payne College, and the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He was President of the Virginia Baptist General Board (1987—1988) and granted honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Bluefield Baptist College and the University of Richmond, and a Doctor of Humane Letters from the Baptist College and Seminary of Washington, eventually having the seminary renamed after him.

His dear and cherished friend Charles W. Colson reminded the world that Neal was the pastor who baptized him and coached him as a brand-new Christian, described Neal as “a steadying influence, always an irenic spirit, and gracious to a fault”.

Neal Jones never ceased to be a faithful follower of the Great Commission. Wherever he went, in whatever situation he found himself, he spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. Even in his assisted living facility Neal ministered daily to fellow residents, workers, staff and visitors - often praying spontaneous prayers with them in the hallways.

Neal was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Betty, his three siblings, his daughter, Elizabeth “Betsy” McElmurray of Louisville, KY, and grandson Neal Thomas “Trey” Jones III. Neal is survived by three children – Neal T. Jones Jr. and his wife, Virginia “Ginny”, of Austin, TX, Jeffery Jones and his wife, Candyce “Candy”, of Horseshoe Bay, TX, Caroline Ford and her husband, Kevin, of Charlotte, NC a son-in-law Stephen McElmurray, of Louisville, KY; 12 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.

If you would like to share a story, memory, or picture of what Neal or Betty meant to you, please send an email to RememberingNeal@LiveCalled.com.

The family is grateful for the love and care shown by Dr. Alyson Shogan of Perspective Health, and the caring staff of The Cypress Club of Charlotte and the Stewart Health Center.

Because Betty passed away on March 9, 2020 during the height of COVID, the family was unable to celebrate her life with an in-person service. So a service to celebrate the lives of Neal and Betty Jones will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 1, at Carmel Presbyterian Church, 2048 Carmel Road Charlotte, NC 28226. Rev. Peter J. McKechnie will preside and Dr. Leighton Ford will provide the homily. A reception and visitation follows at the church. The service will be livestreamed at www.carmellife.org. 

In lieu of flowers, a gift in his memory can be made to Leighton Ford Ministries, 2048 Carmel Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28226 (www.LiveCalled.com); The Neal T. Jones Seminary 4300 Evergreen Lane, Annandale, VA 22003; or a charity of your choice.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, N.C. 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.