Walter Benjamin Jones was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 28, 1954. He departed this life to join The Church Triumphant on December 5, 2023. As a child and young adult, Walter was an active member of Holy Temple Church of God in Christ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where his grandfather, Bishop Ozro Thurston Jones, Sr., and his uncle, Bishop O. T. Jones, Jr., served respectively as senior pastors.
Upon landing his first career assignment at Heery & Heery Architects in Atlanta, Georgia, Walter immediately joined the Cathedral of Faith Church of God in Christ under the leadership of Dr. Jonathan Greer and Pastor Wayne Bass. He was soon appointed as a deacon, serving in various leadership roles within that vibrant and growing congregation. Also, he was an active participant in the Singles Ministry where he met and later married Janice Ott Jones and to that union was born Amber Neanza, Walter Benjamin III., and Evan Davis. Upon relocation to Texas, Walter attended The Potters House of Dallas under the leadership of Bishop T. D. Jakes. Walter’s strong faith and committed walk with Christ have been clearly visible throughout his life. We are fully confident that he now rests in the presence of his Creator, joyously resident with all the saints of the ages in the “house not made with hands but is eternal in the heavens.” We look forward to the day when we shall all come together again, dwelling forever in God’s Eternal and Holy City.
Walter was an avid reader, a phenomenal cook, a lover of history, and a consistently affable individual, known for his quick wit and tremendous sense of humor. He absolutely loved spending quality time with family and friends. Walter was a consummate traveler, journeying near-and-far to destinations like Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, London, Barcelona and other fascinating sites. He enjoyed cruising and vacationing with his family.
Walter was employed by The MetroHealth System in 2014. Functioning as Senior Vice President of Campus Transformation, he coordinated the massive reconstruction and renovation of the three million-square-foot campus, overseeing construction of The Glick Center (a new eleven-floor hospital facility) and helping to aesthetically transform the surrounding community.
Walter came to MetroHealth from the Dallas Parkland Health and Hospital System, functioning in the post of Senior Vice President of Facilities Development. There he managed the planning, design, development and programming of Parkland’s $1.3 billion, 865-bed hospital and medical campus project. Prior to joining Parkland, Walter was an associate with Howell Rusk Dodson Architects in Atlanta, where he supervised major projects including the capital renovation and expansion of Grady Memorial Hospital and the Northside Hospital Women’s Center.