Dr. Robert Ernest Jones

Dr. Robert E. Jones, 85, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Belmont Abbey College, died Sunday, November 5, 2023, at White Oak Manor in Kings Mountain, NC after an extended illness.

Dr. Jones, or Bob to his friends and family, was born on September 19, 1938, in St Louis MO to the Late Ernest Robert Jones and the late Rosemary Furlong Jones. The second eldest of 8 children, Bob attended St Louis University High School, graduating in 1956. He then continued his education in the Jesuit tradition by attending St. Louis University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960.

Bob was a lifetime advocate of Catholic Higher Education. He went on to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, where he would receive his Master of Arts in Political Science in 1962, and his Ph.D. in 1974. During this time, he pursued his academic career, teaching at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and at St. Anselm's College in Manchester, NH.

In 1972, he was hired to teach in the political science department at Belmont Abbey College, where he would serve for the next 37 years until health issues forced his retirement in 2009. During this long period, Bob rose to the rank of a Tenured Full Professor and led the Study Abroad Program. He also served as a Malone Fellow, starting in 1981, and became an expert on the politics and culture of the Middle East.

Bob's hobbies included travel and gardening. His love for gardening, especially the cultivation of orchids, saw him serve several terms as president of the Piedmont Carolinas Orchid Society.

Bob was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers, Lawrence Jones and Francis Jones, and his sisters Mary Jones Seamatter, Babara Jones Cerneka, and Patricia Jones Smith.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Carolyn O'Neill Jones, and his sons, Marcus Jones of Spartanburg, SC and Marshall Jones (Linda) of California, MD, and his granddaughter, Emma Caroline Jones. He is also survived by his Brother Gregory Jones of St Louis, MO, and his sister Rose Jones of Kansas City, MO as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

A brief service will be held at 3pm on Friday, November 10th, 2023, at the chapel of the Woodlawn Funeral Home in Mt. Holly, NC, with Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B of Belmont Abbey officiating. A memorial mass will be held in late December on a date to be determined at the Abbey Basilica on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. Once arrangements are finalized, the family will post information about this on social media.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Belmont Abbey, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road, Belmont, NC 28012 or by visiting https://belmontabbey.org/donate/.

Condolence messages may be sent to the family by visiting www.woodlawnfuneral.org. Woodlawn Funeral Home of Mount Holly is caring for Mr. Jones' family.

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