Dr. Millard T. Jones of Lake Charles, former English professor and Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at McNeese State University, passed away after a long illness on Aug. 3, 2024. He died peacefully at the age of 87 at the Baton Rouge home of daughter, Dana J. Cummings, surrounded by his devoted wife of nearly 70 years and his loving family.

Millard was fortunate enough to win the heart of the love of his life, Laura Mae Johnson, as a student at Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth, Texas. The young couple eloped the day after Laura’s 18 birthday, and their loving marriage endured to Millard’s final breath. 

By the time they turned 25, Millard and Laura had three children, and Millard had completed his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University. Millard went on to complete his doctorate at the University of Kansas, studying Shakespeare with Dr. Charlton Hinman and completing his dissertation on the printing of the first quarto of Othello. He taught English for eight years at Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport before joining the McNeese Faculty in 1975. He served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts from 1987 to his retirement in 2001. 

Millard was active for many years with St. Luke’s Methodist Church. He and Laura were avid bridge players during much of their lives and achieved lifetime master status. Millard shared his love of Shakespeare by contributing to several local Shakespeare productions. 

He will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather; for his mischievous sense of humor with his grandkids and great-grandchildren; for his inability to complete a trip to the grocery without engaging in lengthy conversation with acquaintances; for his keen ability to recount family stories and his own experiences with admirable detail and laugh-out-loud humor; and for his playful nature and love of truly awful puns. 

He is preceded in death by his parents, Helen Aubrey Phillips Jones and Eugene Ray Jones, and his elder brother, Eugene Ray (Pete) Jones of Hewitt, Texas, who along with Millard survived polio as a child. 

In addition to his wife, Laura J. Jones, Millard will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his three children, Karen J. Savant, Dana J. Cummings, and Millard T. Jones Jr. (Mitt Jones); eight grandchildren, William R. Bertram, Tracey B. Nevels, Jeremy A. Bertram, Zackary P. Cummings, Logan A. Cummings, Robert L. Savant, Sophie A. Jones, and Lila E. Jones; 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. 

Millard will be cremated at Rabenhorst Funeral Home in Baton Rouge. Words of comfort for the family may be shared at www.rabenhorst.com