KNOXVILLE — Chuck Jones, who oversaw services for Knox County veterans for more than 25 years, died Wednesday. He was 83.
"He was a true patriot in the truest sense and a true friend to veterans," said John Dyess, Army Reserve ambassador for Tennessee. "If they play 'Taps' at his funeral, I suspect somewhere up in heaven somebody is playing the charge, because here comes Chuck Jones."
Mr. Jones joined the Navy as a teenager in the closing days of World War II and served for 22 years on troop ships and aboard submarines. His service included duty in the Korean War and the 1962 naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Mr. Jones was appointed veterans service officer for Knox County in 1985. He worked with veterans of peace and wartime to help them obtain such benefits as pensions, medical care and discharge papers.
Mr. Jones also helped lead the movement to bring a veterans home to Knox County. The Ben Atchley State Veterans Home opened in 2007.
"It took years to do, but he was the driving force behind it," said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. "You won't replace a guy like Chuck Jones."
A road near the veterans home, Chuck Jones Drive, was renamed in Jones' honor.
Mr. Jones retired as veterans service officer earlier this year. Robert "Buzz" Buswell, a Vietnam veteran, was named this week to fill the post.
The family will receive friends 5-7 p.m. Saturday at Stevens Mortuary. Services are 2 p.m. Sunday at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, with interment to follow in Highland Memorial Park.
