LTC Lewis Maloy Jones, US Army, Retired, passed away peacefully on 27 December 17 in Austin, TX with his wife and son, Jeff, at his side.
Lewis was born on 11 Aug 41 in Jones County, TX to Woodrow Wilson and Clariss Lillian Jones. He grew up in and around Haskell along with his five siblings. He was the first person in his family to earn a college degree.
Lewis first met the love of his life, Gail, in high school, although she would tell you she picked him out in the second grade. They were married on 22 Dec 62 in Haskell. He was a distinguished military graduate from West Texas State University with a degree in Mathematics where he was President of his Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter. Upon graduation, Lewis accepted his commission in the United States Army.
Lewis served two tours in Vietnam as a DUSTOFF pilot flying UH-1H helicopters (Huey’s). After returning home from Vietnam, Lewis completed his Master’s Degree in Hospital Administration from Baylor University. He finished his 20-year Army career working as a Health Care Administrator at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at Brooke Army Medical Center. After military retirement, Lewis completed his teacher certification and was a high school math teacher at Somerset ISD and later East Central ISD.
Lewis loved to fish. He was known to fish at the lake but his heart was in Port Aransas. Early mornings were a coveted time to meet the sunrise and enjoy time in the shallows fishing for speckled trout and redfish. He also loved to fish off the piers and jetties in Port Aransas for flounder, pompano and the occasional hammerhead shark. Ever patient, he taught his children to fish, digging out many a swallowed hook, baiting the lines again and retying the tackle.
Lewis was also an accomplished handyman who was willing to try to fix anything. He always entertained Gail’s latest “vision” for their home and worked hard to accomplish the task to her high expectations. He was always available to family and friends for painting, wallpapering, restoration and building projects. Highlights include refinishing and restoring all of the antiques in their home, laying thousands of square feet of Saltillo tile, planting 1,000 baby pine trees on their Floresville property and building a garage with an upstairs apartment.