COFIELD – Tupper W. Jones, 97, passed on Sunday morning, April 7, 2013 after a brief illness. Born in Cofield, Mr. Jones had been a businessman and community supporter.

A loving husband and father, he had been preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Pearlene Clario Robbins Jones. His parents were John Pat and Daisy Smith Jones.

He is survived by his four children: Douglas E. Jones (Gail – deceased) of San Antonio, Texas; Howard (Berhan) of University Park, Maryland; E. Laverne Jones of New York City; and Marvin T. (Carol) and a granddaughter, Joyce L. Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

The Jones family wants to acknowledge the excellent care, support and friendship of Mrs. Lenore Cooper and Mr. Larry Cooper.

The wake for Mr. Jones will be on Friday, April 12 from 7 until 8:30 p.m. at Hertford County Undertakers Funeral Home on Main Street Winton.  The funeral service will be on Saturday, April 13 at Pleasant Plains Baptist Church at 11 a.m. followed by interment at the church cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be given to Habitat for Humanity (Hertford County) c/o Hargus Taylor, 101 Spring Lake Drive, Murfreesboro, NC 27855, 252-398-4762. Online condolences can be shared with the family at marvin@marvintjones.com.   Cards may be sent to the Jones Family at 823 Ahoskie-Cofield Road, Ahoskie, NC 27910.

The fourth child of John Pat and Daisy Jones, Tupper W. Jones was born 1916 on his parents’ farm in Cofield.  He grew up attending Pleasant Plains and Philippi Baptist churches.  Although he joined Pleasant Plains, he missed the baptism on the Chowan River and fulfilled his commitment at Philippi’s baptism ceremony in Thomas’ Creek.  Tupper started at the Philippi School in Cofield and graduated from Waters Training School in 1936.  Along the way, he barbered in Cofield and at Waters with Dr. Calvin Scott Brown being one of his customers.  Tupper also spent his teenage summers working in New York City, living with his older brother John Pat Jr. in Harlem.

In 1937, Pearlene Clario Robbins of Cofield and Tupper married, and they reared four children.  After a couple of years of working at the shipyard in Newport News and barbering, he took over the farm of his ailing father-in-law, Parker David Robbins.   America’s regulations during World War II prevented farmers like Tupper from enlisting, so he continued to farm and cut hair until he bought a store from Delaware Jones in 1946.

The post-war boom and Tupper and Clario’s business sense made the store a success, and kept their children productively busy. His love of the community that so loved and nurtured him inspired Tupper to support community and church leaders from the last decades of Jim Crow and into the 21st century