When Floyd (Joey) Jones was born June 27, 1941, he was dubbed “JOEY” by his grandmother, Sarah A. Hughes (my mother). This name reflected a famous and popular professional boxer of the day, Joe Lewis. Joe Lewis was very well known for his boxing skills, fast fists and fierce fighting abilities. He was also a nice guy. Within the family, Floyd was known as “Joey” all his life. My mother noted that when Joey was just out of the womb, his fists were doubled and his arms were pumping like crazy. I don’t think I knew his name was Floyd till he was about 30 years old or so. Even when he moved from his Northern New York roots to Florida, we kept in touch . . . He was a nice guy. He, and friends, started a locally popular band when he lived in the Cortland, NY area. They were quite good and enjoyed success as a local Rock and Roll band (The Sons of Eros). Some members of this band eventually moved to Florida and Joey eventually migrated to be with them. I missed him . . . he was a nice guy.

When I heard a little over a year ago that Joey had cancer, I, along with many family members, were concerned. His (nearly) annual migration to the Lake Ontario shores for the Hughes-North Reunion were famous for his ability to assure a good turnout for the event. He was a nice guy and people looked forward to seeing him. This year (2016) Joey was too ill to make the trip. Attendance was down significantly. Many members of his loyal ‘branch’ of the family did attend but his absence was felt.

Joey called me on Sunday, September 11^th and we talked for nearly an hour. His voice was weak and I could tell he was hurting (but still fighting). Joey had been in rehab, along with his wife, Janet for some time recovering from a broken leg. His mobility was severely limited but he was still fighting. He told me he was able to check himself out of rehab because he had arranged for hospice to assist him. He was quite upbeat in spite of his disabilities and confident that he had “up to” 6 months of fight left in him. He was a fighter (and a nice guy).

Yesterday 9/22/2016 I was advised that Joey had left us for a better place. Joey died on September 21, 2016. It is a sad time for all of us who fall under the Hughes-North ancestry. Joey was the son of Edna (Hughes) Jones and Floyd Jones. I will not be the only one who will miss him. There are a lot of us who fall under this ancestry. He was a fighter to the end (and a nice guy).

Fondly,
David (Uncle Dave) Hughes