Ellis Eugene Jones, age 60 of Bryson City, NC, passed unexpectedly from this world on August 12, 2015 as a result of a traffic accident in Jackson County, NC.

Ellis was born to Ellis Eugene Jones and Bettie Fay Jones (formerly Miller) in Phenix City, GA on July 14, 1955. He graduated from Hokes Bluff High School in 1973 and Auburn University in 1977, remaining an avid Tiger football supporter all his life. His career as a chemical engineer carried him to numerous jobs across the southeast, but his life’s passion was the game of chess, both as a competitor and a teacher. He rose to the rank of “expert” within the U.S. Chess Federation, and among other achievements, was Mississippi State Chess Champion in 1997.

Ellis leaves behind his beloved wife of 17 years, Mary Wilkinson Jones of Bryson City, NC, his sons Allen Barclay Jones of Murfreesboro, TN and Kyle Ellis Jones of Cartersville, GA, mother Bettie Fay Jones of Hokes Bluff, GA, sisters Deborah Fay Jones of Hokes Bluff, GA and Diane Patricia Causey of Gadsden, AL,, brother Glendon Ray Jones of Gray, GA, and grandchildren Andrew Jones and McKenzie Jones of Cartersville, GA.