Jones, James, Jr., 1939-

James Jones Jr. was born September 11, 1939 in Waverly, Louisiana. In June 1959, James Jones looked forward to moving to Las Vegas, away from farming in Waverly, Louisiana. His first job was at Gilbert's Grocery Store on D Street. Within a couple of years, he secured a position in the mailroom for REECO (Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company) at the Nevada Test Site. He would work there for over three decades. Among his memories is a four-hour job at the Blue Onion as well as singing with the choir gathered the day Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke in Las Vegas in 1964. Over the years he made many friends, among them was Sonny Thomas who aspired to run a funeral home. Today they run the Thomas and Jones Funeral Home. James and his wife, Elizabeth, raised their four children on the Westside.