Shock, sadness following death of former Cape city official Julia Jones

Julia Jones, the former director of the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, died Monday at age 62.

Family members confirmed to the Southeast Missourian that Jones succumbed to melanoma.

Jones formally retired four weeks ago on July 12 after a decade-long tenure and said at the time she was looking forward to “a new adventure” with her husband, Mike — which she said would include splitting time between her Cape Girardeau hometown and Florida, where she had previously lived and was employed for three decades.

Julia and Mike Jones married in June 2017 after having dated since 2004.

Penny Williams has worked for more than 30 years for Parks and Rec as a recreation division manager and praised her late superior.

“I always teased (Julia) that the Parks and Recreation world changed the day she arrived (here) — 7.11.2011. (Julia) had impeccable attention to detail that will become more evident at the SportsPlex and will become even more evident as the Capaha Park renovation is completed,” Williams said. “(Julia) has made an everlasting impact in this community (and) took so much pride in landscaping and documenting it on social media with her famous Sunday morning flower parades. She liked to say, ‘Fun is our business but we take it very seriously.’”

Williams’ husband, Scott, also a recreation division manager, echoed his spouse’s laudatory remarks.

“(Julia) was an extremely positive leader who considered herself part of the team and didn’t like the ‘boss’ label. She was dedicated, optimistic and (a) very knowledgeable professional who believed in utilizing her team’s strengths for the betterment of the department,” Scott Williams said.

Harry Rediger, Cape Girardeau mayor from 2010 to 2018, remembered Jones’ hiring during his time in office.

“I inherited a quality Parks and Recreation Department and we were in the market for a replacement for (retiring) director Dan Muser. Lo and behold, a Cape native — she was Julia Thompson, at that point — became a candidate (and) I thought, ‘Wow,’ that would be a find if we could get her and afford her because she’s so experienced. In my opinion, (Julia) was overqualified for a city this size but she wanted to come home. This is a sad day,” Rediger said.

Cape Girardeau’s current mayor, Bob Fox, said not a lot of people knew Jones was as sick as she was.

“It’s just a shock (and) you’ve got to admire her for keeping working as if nothing was wrong,” said Fox, who assumed the mayoralty in April 2018, adding he knew Jones and her husband had plans to travel once she left the city’s employ.

“(Julia) was a great organizer and leader — bringing a level of organization no one had ever seen in her department. Some marvelous things have happened and people had such respect for her leadership. She hired great people and transformed those who were already here and that’s the mark of a leader.”

Julia Jones, who retired as director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Cape Girardeau last month, died Monday at the age of 62.Sarah Yenesel

Former Cape Girardeau city manager Scott Meyer added his praise for Jones’ impact on the municipality.

“(Julia) spent a decade here, changing the landscape of Parks and Recreation,” he said. “From the SportsPlex to the additions at Cape Splash and the upgrades to almost every park in the city, not to mention program improvements, (Jones) will definitely be missed.”

Jones and her husband lived in an historic home in the city called Longview, built by her great-great-grandfather, George Christian Thilenius, who was mayor of Cape Girardeau from 1867 to 1873.