Dr. James Harvey Jones

Dr. James Harvey Jones, 85, of Houston, TX, passed away January 9, 2025. He was born December 18, 1939, in Columbia, MS to Malcolm and Willie Maude (Tiny) Jones.
He is survived by his wife, Betty Gwynn Jones; daughters, Gia (husband Jay) and Julie; sons, James (wife Vicki) and Jason (wife Erin); grandsons, Jack and Dylan.
James had lived in Texas for the last 56 years, but deep inside, his heart always belonged to his home state: Mississippi. Determined to be successful, he excelled at school while working different part-time jobs including a warehouse job at Bill's Dollar Store with his dad. James was the first member of his family to graduate from college attending the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) as a pre-med major. He also was a member of the ATO fraternity, the Air Force ROTC, and a Baptist Student Union ministry team for rural churches.
At medical school, James met his future bride and forever sweetheart, Betty, who was a nursing student. After completing medical school in Jackson at the University of Mississippi and his medical internship in Chattanooga, James began his active duty service in the U.S. Army as a captain during the Vietnam War. His first army assignment took the small Jones family to Germany. Next, he was assigned to a field hospital in Vietnam where he discovered his medical calling: radiology. His last army assignment was serving as a doctor at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs.
After his honorable discharge, James was accepted into a residency program in Houston at M.D. Anderson and St Joseph's Hospitals. Leaving his extended family behind in Mississippi, James relocated his family to Houston; a city that he believed would provide new and exciting opportunities.
Throughout his successful career as a radiologist, James worked at Northwest Memorial Hospital, Parkway Hospital, and Memorial City Hospital, where his medical expertise and sense of humor earned him the admiration of his colleagues in each of these radiology departments.
For many years, James and his wife Betty were active members of Champion Forest Baptist Church. He was an enthusiastic trumpet player both in high school and in the church orchestra. He also enjoyed playing the harmonica, a talent he discovered while stationed in Vietnam.
James worked hard to provide for his family whom he loved dearly. Over the years, he also opened his home and heart to many cats in need. Caring about animals came naturally to him.
As empty-nesters, James and Betty enjoyed several wonderful vacations to Alaska, Europe, Colorado, California, and Virginia. For their 50th wedding anniversary, they traveled to Tennessee retracing the footsteps of their 1962 honeymoon.
James watched his family grow and prosper for 45 years in his dream home that was affectionately known as the castle house.
In 2018 James and Betty moved to The Woodlands, where they would spend the next 7 years together until his passing on January 9.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to a local animal organization that was instrumental in rehoming their 4 cats before they moved to assisted living: Volunteers for Animal Protection (VAP) https://www.vapadoptions.org/donate or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research https://www.michaeljfox.org/.