Ronald Wayne Jones

1953 - 2018

Ronald Wayne Jones, 64, lovingly referred to as "Ron" or "Ronnie" by family and friends, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, February 12, 2018, while skiing in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Ronnie was born in Forsyth County on September 30, 1953, to Ray and Virginia "Jennie" Essex Jones. After graduating from West Forsyth High School, Ronnie attended Wingate University and then the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. He continued his education at Forsyth Technical Community College, where he also earned an Associate's Degree in Computer Science. Ronnie had a long career in Information Technology, starting at UTS and then HBOC. In the summer of 2017, he retired from Bank of America in Charlotte, NC, with many years of service. Ronnie loved life and lived every day to the fullest, never wanting to miss out on any fun activity or gathering. He thrived in the company of people. He wanted to be at every get-together with friends and attend every celebration that he possibly could with family and friends. He would cram as many things as possible into one day, maybe biking in the morning, playing golf in the afternoon, or having dinner with friends before attending a ballgame, and not once being deterred by the distance between events. To his friends, this type of day affectionately became known as a "Ronnie Day." Ronnie also loved taking day trips, frequent destinations were Charleston, SC, or the beach. The driving distance associated with going somewhere and back in the same day never seemed to matter. A few years back, he would even make day trips to Snowshoe, WV, just to go skiing. He was an active, and longtime member of the Winston-Salem Ski and Outing Club and participated in activities with the Charlotte Ski & Snowboard Club, Greensboro Ski & Outing Club, and other clubs within the Crescent Ski Council. Ronnie was an avid sports fan. While skiing was his passion, he also loved football, basketball, baseball, golf, and just about any other sport imaginable. He was a lifelong Wake Forest fan, and loved the Carolina Panthers. Over the years he attended many, many games at UNC Charlotte, his alma mater. As well his love of the outdoors, travel was another passion. In addition to his many ski trips, he and Frances enjoyed many wonderful trips together. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Jennie Jones. Surviving are his best friend and the love of his life of more than 25 years, Frances Mundy; one sister, Sandy Donelson (Mike); one niece, Carly Siceloff (Tony), one great-niece, Piper; and two loved and cherished aunts, Peggy Smith and JoAnn Smith. Also surviving are many cousins that seemed more like siblings; a much-loved extended family, and all of Frances's family. He leaves behind many cherished friends that shared his love of skiing, hiking, biking, golfing, watching movies, listening to live music, and getting together with friends. A celebration of life will be held at 1pm on Thursday, February 22, 2018, at Centenary United Methodist Church's Memorial Auditorium (the auditorium entrance is on 4 1/2 street), 646 West Fourth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101. An informal visitation will follow the service. In honor of Ronnie's many miles of travel on the Blue Ridge Parkway and for his deep love of animals, memorials may be made to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, 717 Marshall St SW # 105B, Winston-Salem, NC 27101, or the Animal Adoption and Rescue Foundation (AARF), 311 Harvey St, Winston-Salem, NC 27103. Online condolences may be made at www.hayworth-miller.com.