James Richard "Rick" Jones, III

James Richard “Rick” Jones, III, 74, of Indianapolis, passed away August 27, 2023. He was born June 28, 1949 in Augusta, Georgia to James Richard and Allie McGreg (Singletary) Jones, Jr. Rick graduated from Boone High School in Orlando, Florida, received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of New Mexico, and his PhD from Indiana University. Rick was Indiana’s second State Archaeologist. He retired from the DNR’s Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology (DHPA) at the end of August 2014. He had been with the DHPA, Indiana’s State Historic Preservation Office since 1987 and was appointed State Archaeologist in 1991, making him our longest serving State Archaeologist to date. On his last day of work before retirement, he was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash by then Governor Mike Pence. The DNR director and State Historic Preservation Officer at the time stated that the award honored “his many decades of dedicated service to the archaeological resources of our state, the discipline of Midwest archaeology, and the people of Indiana.” When Rick was not doing his archeo mentoring, educating, regulating or friendship building, he could be found reading some of his 1,000+++ collection of books; attending Portfolio Club meetings; or playing lead guitar in the band Graal, Late Shift Disorder, or Bandage. His wife introduced him to northern Michigan culture that included seeing the Northern Lights, sampling pasties and Lake Whitefish dinners; snow covered tents in October; arboreal tunnels and thimble berry jam. Throughout his married life of 33 years less two weeks, Rick and Tina were the forever homes for more than a dozen rescued cats and dogs. They have assured me that they will be ready with sloppy tongues, wiggling butts, and joyful barking when he crosses the bridge. Rick is survived by his loving wife, Christina Petlichkoff Jones; sisters, Allie Myers (John), and Sue Jones (Roger Hunt); nephews, David Roe (Tara), Zachary Hunt, Elliot Hunt, Jasper Hunt, Brennan Jones (Corissa), and Taylor Jones (Kelsey), He was preceded in death by his brother, William McGreg Jones. Visitation will be Friday, September 8, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and the service will be Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Shirley Brothers Irving Hill Chapel, 5377 East Washington Street. One hour of calling will precede the service. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed and available by clicking the following link:https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/574671279 Rick will join his Mother and Father in the family cemetery plot at Glen Haven Memorial Park in Winter Park, Florida the following week. Graveside arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Archeology Preservation Fund (https://www.in.gov/dnr/historic-preservation/about-us/what-we-do/) or The Archeological Conservancy (https://www.archaeologicalconservancy.org/).

Tributes

James Richard "Rick" Jones, III

June 28, 1949 - August 27, 2023