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Obituary

Beloved science teacher, 54, dies

Despite his battle with cancer, Mike Jones, a Crystal River High science teacher, taught his classes until last week.

By EDDY RAMIREZ
Published October 22, 2005

CRYSTAL RIVER - Robert Michael "Mike" Jones told his students that he didn't give away grades.

To get A's in his science classes, students had to earn them.

Perhaps that's why so many students attended his tutoring sessions at Crystal River High - students like junior Ashton O'Steen, who wanted to do well in chemistry but struggled with the subject.

"You wouldn't believe how many students showed up for tutoring at 6:45 in the morning," said O'Steen, who took Mr. Jones' honors chemistry class as a sophomore. "There were even students from Lecanto High who came."

On Friday, O'Steen and others at Crystal River High mourned the loss of Mr. Jones. He died of cancer at his home in Inglis on Wednesday (Oct. 19, 2005). He was 54.

A funeral service will be at 11 a.m. today at Primitive Church of Jesus Christ in Inglis. The Rev. John McCann and Ruth Kirland will preside.

Mr. Jones, who had been battling cancer, held regular classes until last week. On his last day in the classroom, students said he appeared fatigued, his voice was hoarse and he was having difficulty breathing.

Students said that Mr. Jones told principal Patrick Simon that he had taken his medication late on Wednesday and hoped to be back in class the next day.

Instead, students were greeted with the news that Mr. Jones had died.

"Everyone was silent," said Wesley Lanier, a sophomore in honors chemistry. "Some people cried and others were hugging. But mostly there was silence."

Mr. Jones, who was 21 when he began teaching at Crystal River High in 1973, had a knack for connecting easily with students, including many whose parents he had taught.

Colleen Bennett, a sophomore at the University of Florida, said Mr. Jones liked to tell her stories about her late grandfather when she was a sophomore in his chemistry class. The two men had worked together at the Citrus County nuclear plant.

"It was just nice to hear about one of your relatives from someone other than your family," she said. "That was Mr. Jones. He really took a personal interest in his students."

A graduate of the University of South Florida, Mr. Jones was "a diehard Seminole fan." He often teased students who rooted for the University of Florida Gators.

"I remember once walking into his class with a Gators T-shirt and he asked me to walk over to him," O'Steen said. "He wanted to use it to demonstrate a chemical experiment to the class."

Mr. Jones' death, while not entirely a shock to some, caught others by surprise. Mr. Jones regularly attended football games and cheered students from the stands. He was often seen with a granola bar in hand.

"I always joked with him that he would live to be 110 years old," O'Steen said. "He was in good shape."

In the classroom, Mr. Jones had a propensity to laugh with students while performing "magic tricks" for them. He loved the reaction he got from students when he spilled a chemical on a white rose and caused it to change colors.

"He made teaching fun," said senior Joy Henry, who took his classes three years straight.

On Friday, students attended a pep rally, the first in years, decked out in school colors. The volleyball team wore "Mr. Jones" headbands and armbands. One student, who had taped a giant poster board with a poem she wrote in memory of Mr. Jones, handed out Livestrong bracelets.

In his classroom, past the flasks that crowded his desk, giant cardboard cards were on display. A scrapbook was filled with photographs that students had given him throughout his career. It was a keepsake he put together a year ago.

On the front was a photo of him sporting a broad smile. Below, he had written: "In the following pages see why I chose teaching as my career. ... It certainly won't make you rich in money but ... it will make you rich in friends and memories."

Mr. Jones is survived by his wife, Amy, who teaches French and Spanish at the school; two sons, Timothy and Daniel; a daughter, Rachel, who lives in Gainesville; his parents, William and Mozelle, of Inglis; and a brother, Gary.

Eddy Ramirez can be reached at eramirez@sptimes.com or 860-7305.

[Last modified October 22, 2005, 01:13:18]