Obituary of Gregory Michael Jones

Gregory Michael Jones (25) 1985 - 2010. Our dear sweet, son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend left this earth surrounded by the love of his family at home on March 8, 2010 after a long and courageous war with melanoma. He waged this war with courage, dignity and with his "boots on." He was diagnosed with melanoma just before he graduated from the George Mason University in 2007 at a time when his peers were making plans to start their lives. He never dwelled on why he had melanoma; only on what he had to do next. He saw past the disease to integrate the lessons he was learning: to live in the moment, to adapt to the situation, to appreciate the little things, to seize second chances, to let people know that you care, and to let other people support you. His love of the show Mystery Diagnosis , which focuses on the "zebras" or unexpected things that occur in an illness, inspired a following of Zebra supporters, who Believed in Zebras (and miracles), which gave him strength. Gregory, "Greg," was born on January 22, 1985 at Tripler Army Medical Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii. He was Jeffery and Nancy Jones's first child. Greg and his family left Hawaii in 1990. He longed to return to Hawaii and live the Aloha Spirit. Greg attended Algonkian Elementary School, Seneca Ridge Middle School, Potomac Falls High School, Northern Virginia Community College, and George Mason University. He graduated from George Mason University in 2007 with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing. He enjoyed working at Wegman's throughout his college career and returned to Wegman's last August to fulfill his dream to lead a team that was empowered and would be successful through his coaching, guidance, and mentoring. Greg loved family, friends, food, history, light rock, dancing, silly comedies, family traditions, and Hawaii. He is survived by his father Jeffrey L. Jones, his mother Nancy A. Jones, his sister Morgan Lynn Jones, the love of his life Katherine Mary Armstrong, and his Wegman's family. The family would like to thank Greg's second family; his team members at Wegman's. Despite Greg's discovery of his recurring melanoma, Wegman's offered him a position as a Team Leader. His Wegman's family continually showed their support throughout his treatments, which provided great hope and comfort to Greg and his family. We will celebrate Greg's life on Friday, March 12, 2010 at Herndon United Methodist Church, 701 Bennett St., Herndon, VA 20170. The family will receive friends from 2:00PM - 3:00PM. A memorial service will follow at 3:00PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Greg's name (Greg Jones - Zebra 1) to the Melanoma Research Foundation are requested. Online guestbook is available at www.adamsgreen.com . We will always continue to Believe in Zebras and spread the memory of Greg's battle with melanoma to educate others.