Virgil L. Jones

Virgil was born in Middletown, Ohio on May 19, 1930 the son of Robert Roy and Irma L. Jones, and spent his young life working on the large family farm. He was a graduate of Monroe High School and lived most of his life in Liberty Township, where he was a past president of the Liberty Community Club. After taking flying lessons at the Hamilton Hogan Airport at the age of 17 and being introduced to electronics in military service, aviation and electronics became his lifetime passion. He attended several electronics schools in the military and civilian life. Virgil was in the top fifteen percent of the class in his two major radar/electronics courses at the Army Antiaircraft & Guided Missile School at Ft. Bliss, Texas, and attained the rank of Warrant Officer. He was a ham radio operator since 1951, and had an FCC Commercial Radio Telephone License and a Commercial Multiengine Pilot’s license. His hobbies were flying and ham radio.

In 1953 he began a 32-year career with Avco Corporation as a Calibration Engineer at the Avco Electronics Division in Evendale (originally Crosley). He was a Field Engineer for Avco at the Boeing Seattle Plant during the early B-52 aircraft program and then returned to the electronics plant, where he held positions of foreman of Final Systems Test, Field Installation Manager and Manager of Research Aircraft Operations. Virgil was later promoted to Director of Marketing in the Avco International Services Division. He traveled extensively throughout the world and lived in Beirut, Lebanon with his family while starting up new business operations in the Middle East. Virgil spearheaded the division’s marketing efforts that led to Avco contracts for maintenance of the Saudi Arabia television network, and the operation and maintenance of the Saudi Arabia Dhahran Airport and subsequent contracts for the Riyadh, Jeddah and other airports in Kingdom.

After retiring from Avco in 1985 he worked as Avionics Manager for Chalks Airline and DHL Airways before turning to writing novels. He had three published books. His third book, Ego, Love, and Vengeance has been turned into a screenplay, which is being marketed for production. His international marketing experiences in the Middle East spawned his passion for writing. Virgil resided in both Deerfield Beach, Florida and Fairfield after retiring, and was elected president of the Gristmill Condo Association at Walden Ponds in 2008.

Virgil married Mitzi Pogatsch of Hamilton in 1950. They had four children: Rose Baker of Cincinnati, Donna Lott of Forest City, North Carolina, Theresa Jones of Hamilton, and Roy Jones of Sierra Vista, Arizona. Mitzi traveled with Virgil on business at every opportunity, visiting the Middle East, Russia, Europe, and Africa. Although his life was filled with many rewarding experiences, Virgil often said that his greatest reward was seeing his children grown and build happy, successful lives of their own. He credited Mitzi’s influence for that.

Virgil had two older sisters and three older brothers; Vivian Bussard, Robert Jones, Linn Jones, Ralph Jones and Lois Askins, who he said were his cherished mentors while growing up. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Amy Hansel, Michelle Marino, Samantha Jensen, Megan Jensen, Heather Moore, and Melissa Lott; and three great-grandchildren, Dylan Marino, and Jalyn and Lucas Moore.

Family and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Julie Billiart Catholic Church, 224 Dayton Street, on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM. Burial will follow in Rose Hill Burial Park. Visitation will be held at the Brown-Dawson Funeral Home, 330 Pershing Avenue, on Monday from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.