James Thomas "Doc" Jones, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, was called to his heavenly home on Sunday, March 13, 2022 in Houston, Texas.

James was born on September 4, 1936 to William Victor and Evelyn Emma Spiess Jones in Houston, Texas. James was proud to be a fifth generation Texan whose great-great-grandfather, Carmon Ross of Gonzalez County, served in the Texas Revolutionary War in 1836. He also had ancestors on the Jones side of the family who served in the US Revolutionary War. As a young child, James' family lived in the Houston Heights area, and his dad worked as a paint chemist at the Kuhn Paint Company.

James' family moved to a small farm on Grant Road in the Cy-Fair area in the mid-1940's, where James became interested in agriculture. In addition to helping his dad care for the family's hogs, horses, poultry and Angus cattle, James worked for neighbors. James drove a tractor and helped dig potatoes on his neighbor's produce truck farm, helped feed various neighbors' cattle, and helped with the cattle at the Fuchs dairy down the road. During high school and college, James worked summers and breaks earning money to pay for college. He worked several summers at Hollis Meat Company near Cypress Creek, where he learned about meat processing. One summer, he worked as a carpenter's helper during the construction of the Houston Lighting and Power plant on FM 249 in northwest Harris County. He spent several summers working in the rice fields for the Pfeffer and Lowery rice farms. These experiences instilled in James a love of production agriculture and a respect for hard work and helped him learn skills that he would put to good use later in life on his own farm and cattle operation. He was an excellent carpenter, farmer and cattleman who raised crossbred cattle for many years. James' lifelong struggle with poor vision instilled in him a strong work ethic and motivated him to prove himself in every vocation and hobby he chose to tackle. He embraced challenges and was a creative problem-solver in every aspect of his life.

James graduated from Cypress-Fairbanks High School in 1954 and after graduation, he attended Texas A&M College (TAMC) in College Station, Texas, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. James graduated from TAMC in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in May 1961. While in veterinary school, he worked as a graduate assistant for a researcher at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). After his many experiences and accomplishments at TAMC, James was indeed a proud Aggie!

After meeting the love of his life at a Cy-Fair rodeo in 1957, James married Grace Evelyn Ulrich on August 10, 1958. James joined Trinity Lutheran Church in Spring, Texas in 1958 and was a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod until his death. James and Grace were happily married for 57 years until Grace's death on October 24, 2015.

After graduation from veterinary school in 1961, James started a veterinary practice (Spring-Cypress Road Animal Clinic) on a farm next to the Ulrich family farm and dairy in the Klein community. In 1962, the US Army drafted James to serve in the Veterinary Corps. After basic training at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, and several months studying at "Ham and Egg" school (food inspection school) in Chicago, Illinois, James was stationed at Fort Mead in Baltimore, Maryland for two years. There, he rose to the rank of captain before he was honorably discharged from the US Army.

After concluding his service in the US Army, James and Grace, along with their young daughter Cynthia, returned to the Klein community. There, he re-opened his clinic and practiced primarily large animal veterinary medicine, attending mostly to dairy cattle, beef cattle, and horses. He had clients in a multi-county area, including dairies as far as Plantersville and Navasota and several large ranches in Waller, Fort Bend and Grimes counties and the Brazos River bottom.

In the mid-1960's and 70's, James' solo veterinary practice continued to grow, as did his family.  He and Grace welcomed Sandra and Kathleen, their two younger daughters, in the 60's.  James was a "GMC man" and could be seen running the roads at all hours in his step side pickup truck (with directional mud grip tires whining) on large animal farm calls. As part of his practice, he helped to protect the US beef and dairy cattle industries by taking part in federal brucellosis and tuberculosis eradication programs. With his Silver King portable squeeze chute in tow behind his pickup, he traveled many miles and tested over 18,000 head of cattle for brucellosis in 18 months, in addition to taking care of his usual farm and ranch service calls. James excelled at bovine obstetrics and bovine internal medicine. He delivered thousands of calves and cared for thousands of dairy and beef cows over the course of his long veterinary career. James was a lifetime member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association.

James also performed many veterinary procedures on livestock projects for the local 4H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters. For his efforts, James was named an honorary FFA chapter farmer and honorary FFA state farmer. Over the years, James also helped clients with their animals at the Houston Fat Stock Show (now the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo). As family and friends can attest, he had many, many interesting stories detailing the clients, animals and situations he encountered over the years in his practice. Doc's stories about veterinary life and country folk rivaled those of James Herriot's!!

In the early 1980's, James transitioned to mixed animal practice and gained many small animal clients in the growing Klein and Tomball communities. He, together with his wife and daughters, worked 6 days a week in the clinic, saving Sundays for church and chores on the farm. To the many clients he served, "Doc" Jones was known for his excellent diagnostic skills, reasonable fees, and honest and down-to-earth approach to practice, not to mention his compassion for animals. James often took the time to ask clients about their livelihood and their families and expressed a genuine interest in their lives. With his strong work ethic, James did not take much time to vacation, because there was always work to be done. But James and his family cherished those occasions when members of the local farming community would invite them for a day trip to go fishing on the Texas Gulf coast. James loved fresh flounder, redfish and speckled trout!

James retired from veterinary practice in 2005. He and Grace continued to work on their farm in their early retirement and enjoyed their grandchildren. In time, James lovingly became known as "Pops" to the family. In 2010, Klein Independent School District dedicated the Ulrich Intermediate School and Klein Cain High School, which were built on the property formerly owned by James and Grace. In their later retirement years, as Grace's health deteriorated, "Pops" took precious care of his beloved Grace in their home until her passing. Though his eyesight ultimately failed, James insisted on living alone and did a fantastic job of 'keeping the place up', to the point that his daughters noted his house was cleaner than their own!  He loved his family dearly and always enjoyed cooking for them when they came to visit. Steak was nearly always on the menu, as was Blue Bell Ice Cream for dessert (vanilla, of course!).  To his last day, James was full of witty quips that made people laugh and he always offered rock solid advice for life. He loved listening to Astros games on the radio and was always ready to discuss the game highlights and stats. He also loved listening to old country music, and Willie's Roadhouse on satellite radio was a favorite channel.

James and Grace instilled in their three daughters a love of rural and farming life, a strong work ethic, Christian values, and a passion for education and teaching. James was proud of his daughters' accomplishments, and he often bragged (to anyone who would listen) about the number of degrees his family collectively held from Texas A&M. He found it particularly heartening that all three of his girls found their way to careers in teaching and have had an impact on so many students.

James was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife, Grace, and his brother, Doran Victor Jones. He is survived by his three daughters and their families:  Cynthia Jones Lorenz and Darryl Lorenz, grandchildren Austin Lorenz and his wife, Arleah, Abigail Lorenz, and great-granddaughter Aurora Treen of Tomball, TX; Sandra Jones Carter and Charlie Carter of Petersburg, TX; Kathleen Jones LaRue and Jay D. LaRue of Salado, TX, and his sister, Nona Jones Atteberry. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the following charitable organizations:  Lutheran Hour Ministries, Trinity Lutheran Church Cemetery Fund, Guide Dogs of Texas, Inc., or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.