Ben Jones, born in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 22, 1935, passed away peacefully on August 2, 2018. Ben was a decorated Army Ranger who served in the U.S. Army and fought in the Korean War, a master gunsmith, a patriot, and a loving husband and father. He was a resident of Ruskin since 1962. In the early 70's he opened Ben Jones' Farm and Ranch Service, where he designed, built, and repaired farm equipment. In 1985 the Ranch Service closed and was reborn as Gun Craft Inc. Ben's passion was designing and creating custom firearms and firearm accessories for both novice and competition shooters, as well as big game hunters. He also designed, constructed, and patented many firearm parts along the way. Ben was an avid hunter and outdoorsman who traveled the country and the world to hunt exotic game. Although he loved every form of hunting, his favorite type was African safari hunting. As soon as you walk through the front door of Gun Craft and see his many mounts, souvenirs, and photographs, you know right away that Ben loved hunting in Africa. He was an excellent storyteller; you could sit, mesmerized, for hours and listen to his safari stories.

Ben is survived by his wife of 58 years, Kay (Burton) Jones; his three children and their spouses, Cole (Cheryl) Jones, Paul (Carolyn) Jones, and Kim Stroud (Bobby Bartling); his granddaughter and her husband, Bonnie (Marcus) Shepherd; and two grandsons, Timothy and Zachary Jones. He also touched the lives of too many others to count. Ben was a great man and he will be missed.

Please come, bring a dish, and share a story with us at Ben's Celebration of Life to be held on Saturday, September 8th at 4pm at the Ruskin Elk Lodge: 1630 S U.S. Hwy 41, Ruskin, FL 33570. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Lifepath Hospice.