William Kent Jones

William Kent “Coach” Jones, 78, of Auburn, Indiana, died Monday, November 2, 2015, at his residence.

Coach Jones was born January 20, 1937, in Ohio City, the son of William Paul and Regina (High) Jones, who both preceded him in death. On March 11, 1961, in Scott, he married the former Mildred Marie Perry, who survives in Auburn.

Coach Jones was both a teacher and baseball coach for 39 years. He taught and coached at Vaughnsville for two years, Hicksville High School for eight years and DeKalb (Indiana) High School for 27 years, where his team won the baseball state championship in 1980. He finished his career in education, spending two years at Canterbury High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He was a founding member of the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association and belonged to the group from 1971 until 2012. He was selected as the “National Coach of the Year” by the NHSACA in 1981 and was inducted into the Indiana High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1982.  He served as a member of Auburn City Council during the late 1980s and was a member of Auburn United Methodist Church and the Auburn Lions Club. He also scouted for the Detroit Tigers from 1999 until 2015.

Survivors include his daughter and son-in-law, Laura and Pat Menzie of Fort Wayne; two sons and daughters-in-law, Brad and Stacie Jones of Bellefontaine and Ken and Jennifer Jones of Huntertown; five grandchildren, Chris (Erica) Menzie of Tampa, Florida, Amanda Menzie of Fort Wayne, Tyler Jones of Bellefontaine, Madison jones of Bellefontaine, and Hayden Jones of Huntertown; a brother, Dick Jones of Horton, Michigan; a brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Richard and Diane Perry of Convoy; and his beloved cat, Snooks.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. Friday, November 6, at Feller And Clark Funeral Home, 1860 S. Center St. in Auburn, with the Rev. Stuart Kruse officiating. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Auburn.

Calling hours are from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. Thursday, November 5, and an hour prior to services Friday at the funeral home.

Preferred memorials: Coach Bill Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 700 S. Main St., Auburn, IN 46706, or DeKalb County Humane Society, 5221 U.S. 6, Butler, IN 46721.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.fellerandclark.com.