Alton Allen Jones

Alton Allen Jones loving husband, proud father, loyal son and quality friend, was called home by his Lord on November 22, 2017 after complications from recent chemotherapy. Al twice survived cancer in his twenties. Visitation with the family will be held from 4:00 until 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 26, 2017 at Rose-Neath Funeral Home, on Marshall St. A memorial service will be held 1:00 p.m. on Mon day, November 27, 2017 at Broadmoor Methodist Church in Shreveport. Officiating will be Rev. Juan Huertas. Al was a proud citizen of Shreveport, Louisiana since 1982 when he moved from Dallas to expand his successful career in the oil and gas industry. All who knew him recognized him as a man of integrity, professional competency and aspirational vision. His immediate family and friends knew him as a one-of-a-kind loving personality, a great sense of humor and valued member of the family and the extended families of his friends. His inquisitive mind made him a renaissance man in many topics, but it was his firm grasp of the things that really mattered to him: family and friends and his professional responsibilities to his partners, that distinguished his life. After growing up in Dallas through his high school days at Sunset High School, Al attended Baylor University, where he played baseball for the Bears from 1975-1976, joined the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and met his future wife, Melinda Dowd, who he married in 1984. She was the love of his life for 33 years. Al excelled in his academics, earning a Bachelor of Science in Geology and completed all the course work for a Master of Science degree in geology. He started his career at Texas Oil and Gas, where he honed his expertise from 1982-1984, generating prospects for exploration in the upper gulf coast region of Texas and Mississippi. The opportunity for him to ad vance came in 1984 with the offer from Palmer Oil and Gas, in Shreveport, to serve as their Exploration Manager. After success at Palmer, he reached a lifelong dream of having his own company and co-founded JM Exploration along with partner, David Meadows, in 2000. There he developed a base of investors to whom he exhibited an uncompromising loyalty, professionalism and responsibility. In addition to numerous oil reservoir discoveries, Al gave back to his profession through board service in industry centric professional boards and associations: Shreveport Geological Society and Shreveport Map Association, in both instances rising to the office of president, Shreveport Petroleum Data Association, Gulf Coast Geologic Convention as vice chair man, Baylor University Geology Advisory Board and was a Member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. He was the consummate professional at his craft. Success to Al was more than his noteworthy career accomplishments, it revolved around his family and faith. His loyalty to his one love, Melinda, and pride in his sons, Dalton and Blake, along with his love of the Lord were always his driving forces. His sons, born in 1990 and 1995 respectively, were the lucky recipients of his life lessons, sport coaching, athletic genetics and fatherly devotion. He was a good golfer (in his own mind) and avid tennis player, a sporting activity he and Melinda enjoyed together and in which he excelled, playing in USTA finals in 1998 and 2007. He promoted his love of sports with service on Boards of the Oilman's Tournament and Pierremont Oaks Tennis Club and most importantly to him, teaching the fundamentals of baseball to local kids and participating in Shreveport's C.E. Byrd Booster Club activities. Al's commitment to his Lord was well known and his faith was solid. He was a member of Grace Community United Methodist Church. He served as a Stephen Minister and as a Stephen Ministry leader and the coordinator of Stephen Ministry referrals at Grace. As he left this life, Al was confident as to his destination. He is preceded in death by his father, James Robert Jones. Al is survived by wife Melinda and son Dalton and wife Kati, future grandson and son Blake, his mother Ada Jones Goodwin, his sister, Lori Clopton and husband James, her children, Steven Humphrey, Nicholas Humphrey, and Victoria Humphrey, and his in-laws, Virginia and Edward Dowd. He is also survived by numerous other family and friends. Serving as honorary pallbearers will be David Burch, Larry Dowd, Marshall Jones, Jimmy Marston, David Meadows, Ken Miller, Barron O'Neal, and Gary Wood. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation to Carolina Escobar M.D., Ron Mehaffy RN, and the physicians and nurses of the Baylor Pickens Cancer Hospital for their compassionate care and dedication to Al. The family suggests memorials may be made to Grace Community United Methodist Church, (Restore Grace Fund) 9400 Ellerbe Rd. Shreveport, LA 71106 or Baylor Pickens Cancer Hospital, 3535 Worth St. Dallas, TX 75246.