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If there has ever been a faithful servant, it was Vincent Frank Jones. His service to the town of Andrews was unsurpassed.
I remember working with him with the Andrews Chamber of Commerce, and his enthusiasm for selling hot dogs, hamburgers or whatever we were doing at the time. Frank and Chuck Van Gorder always showed up for every event, and met the crowd with smiles and handshakes. They enjoyed working with people.
Frank was one of four children, and was born to Sam W. and Vencenia Jones, Dec. 7, 1942. His siblings were Sam Walker, James Richard, Peggy and Angie. He moved to Andrews with his parents before he started to school and excelled throughout the grades.
He was a star player on the Andrews Wildcats football team as a right tackle in 1960, and they boarded a Trailways Bus headed to the state play-off games.
They fastened a sign on the bus like the one the team had in 1959, when they went to the state play-off games that said, “MOUNTAIN MEN WILL DO IT AGAIN.”
Before graduating from Andrews High School, Frank worked as a page for the N.C. House of Representatives. He entered Western Carolina College in Cullowhee and later served in the U.S. Army. The last two years of Frank’s military duty were served in West Germany, where he was discharged as a first lieutenant.
Frank dedicated his life as a volunteer and was the biggest promoter of Andrews. His support for the town and Cherokee County is acknowledged in this list: president of the Lions Club, chairman of the Cherokee County Food Bank (Andrews), Cherokee County magistrate, board member of the Cherokee County Tax Equalization Board, chairman of the District Memorial Hospital Board of Directors in Andrews, chairman of the Andrews Housing Authority Board, officer on the Andrews Chamber of Commerce Board, chairman of the Andrews Library Board, an officer on the Andrews Valley Initiative Board, and an officer of the Andrews Development Board,
But more than this, Frank was devoted to his wife, Erla Creasman Jones, who were married for 58 years. He loved spending time with his granddaughter, Luisa Edwards, and his daughter, Margaret, and his son-in-law, David Phillips. Frank had a brilliant mind, and I have heard he loved to watch Jeopardy and secretly enjoyed infuriating his family with correct answers that he should not have known.
Don’t weep for me, Frank would have said, for I have work to do. I will volunteer in heaven, as I wait for all of you.
Kandy Barnard is a columnist for the Cherokee Scout. To talk about the Andrews Valley, call her at 828-361-3268 or email kandybarnard@gmail.com.