Jericoe J. Jones

November 22, 1974 - August 12, 2020

Jericoe J. Jones was born November 22, 1974 in Dennison to the late Harold “Butch” Jones and his mother, Alice Simmons of Dover. He graduated from Garaway High School in 1993 and then went on to graduate from Ohio University Eastern Law Enforcement Acadamy in 1996. He served 13 years in law enforcement, working for the Village of Dennison, the City of Uhrichsville, and the Harrison County Sherriff’s Office as a detective. Jericoe served on the South Eastern Narcotics Task Force as well as the Harrison Co. Sexual Assault Task Force. He later graduated from the National Training Center of Polygraph Science in New York City. He served as a polygraph examiner from Harrison, Carrol, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, Belmont and Guernsey counties. He had three cases he was most proud of. He was able to get a confirmed truthful chart to prove a Jefferson Co. female was innocent of aggravated arson, in which someone else later confessed to. The second case, he was able to solve a 30 year old cold case with a second confirmed chart with a confession. The third case, he was able to prove a man was innocent of aggravated rape with a truthful chart, where the lady later failed the polygraph test and confessed she made the whole story up. Jericoe later left law enforcement and joined the Oil & Gas boom, where he served as a Safety Coordinator and Project Manager. He was most recently employed by Western Mountain Inc. where he served as Project Manager. Jericoe was never the guy to hit “decline call.” He didn’t care what you needed- a shoulder to cry on, a sounding board to vent to, advice, or a financial need, he was always there & came through every time. Jericoe was also a very influential coach- he coached his daughter, Tori Jones’ softball teams, Paul’s Body Shop, and numerous Dover All Star teams, along with a travel softball team, the “Outlaws.” Jericoe’s softball teams went on to win numerous championships along the way, and the Dover Outlaw team was feared wherever they went. His greatest love in sports was watching the kids grow as players and developing life-long memories with them and their families. His favorite sport was wrestling, where he served as head wrestling coach at Newcomerstown High School. He and his devoted staff set a goal his first year, and they turned an average program into a small mega power in Division III Wrestling, gaining the respect of the mega powers in Division I and Division II, producing numerous state qualifiers and state placers. Jericoe’s Trojans currently have three wrestlers ranked in the top five in the state. He was the biggest advocate for family, and “blood” wasn’t a factor to Jericoe, if he loved you there wasn’t a line drawn that he wouldn’t cross for you. His wrestlers… he literally gave all for them. He not only worried about their physical being but their spiritual being as well. There was a Sunday morning when about 10 wrestlers’ lives were changed, and coach was kneeling right beside them. He was the wrestling coach, but you could find him every Friday night on the side lines for every Trojan football game. Jericoe is survived by his girlfriend of the past ten years, Brittney Pappas of Port Washington. He is preceded in death by a daughter, Adriana Sierra Jones. Jericoe is also survived by his daughters, Tori Jones of Barnhill, Taylor Bair and Jordyn “Piper” Jones, both of Port Washington; two sons, Logan Hursey and Cruz “Legend” Jones, both of Port Washington; two sisters, Anna of Dundee and Carla Cantu of San Diego, CA; a step-brother, Kyle (Regan) Simmons of Atlanta, GA; a grandmother, Deloris Sparks of Dover; ex-wife, Nicole Jones (Shane Wires) of Barnhill; along with numerous nieces and nephews; and his “Trojan Mafia”. We never understand why these things happen but what we do know is that there is a greater plan in motion and Jericoe gets to be a part of it. I don’t know if the impact he had on this community will ever be fully fathomed but what we do know is that it will live on forever and his love for his “Trojan Mafia” nor his name will never be forgotten. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Churches of Christ in Christian Union 560 W State St., Newcomerstown, OH 43832 or Newcomerstown Athletic Boosters Wrestling Fund 702 S River St, Newcomerstown, OH 43832.