Funeral plans set for Rhubarb Jones

On Saturday night, just hours before veteran radio jock and educator Rhubarb Jones died suddenly of a heart attack, he emceed a concert starring country legend Mickey Gilley at Mill Town Music Hall in Bremen.

So it’s appropriate that Mill Town will host a public visitation service from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. today. The venue has a capacity of about 1,100. The funeral service will hold the funeral service at 2 p.m. Thursday at the same location. (Originally, it was to be held at First Baptist Church in Tallapoosa, but that was too small.)

On Saturday night, he was in good spirits. Bremen police chief Keith Pesnell said he spent 30 minutes shooting the breeze with Jones that evening. “We talked about how blessed we were,” he said. “He felt grateful about living in this community, the friends he has and the work he’s done.”

Randall Redding, CEO of Mill Town, was at the Gilley concert as well. On stage, he said he typically cuts up with his old high school friend Jones. Instead, he felt compelled to say something more sincere. “I appreciate our friendship,” he said. “We’ve known each other 40 years.” Jones corrected him: “47!”

“You have been such a blessing here,” Redding told Jones on stage. “We appreciate what you do here and for the community and country music.”

Pesnell said about 16 hours later, at about 1:10 p.m. on Sunday, Jones collapsed at the Walmart in Bremen while shopping with his 14-year-old daughter Presley, getting a new battery for his pick-up truck. Customers tried to revive him via CPR. Transported to nearby Higgins General Hospital, he was pronounced dead soon after. See the full story at radiotvtalk.blog.ajc.com.