Lauris Taylor Jones III

Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Lauris Taylor Jones III, of Madison, Alabama, died on May 24, 2021 in Huntsville, Alabama, after a short hospital stay.

He was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 22, 1952, to Ann Olander Jones and Lauris Taylor Jones, Jr.

Taylor attended Auburn University and Southern Illinois University. As part of his military service, he was also trained at the Command and General Staff College, Airborne School, and Pathfinder School.

Taylor served in the United States Army for twenty-one years. He received his commission in the Ordnance Corps through the Officer Candidate Program. His initial assignments were in the Army’s Pershing Missile program. He later became a champion of Manpower Personnel and Training (MANPRINT), the Army’s Human Factors Engineering program. A proud accomplishment was his recognition as the Army’s MANPRINT Practitioner of the Year. He was one of the original members of the Army Acquisition Corps and served as a Product Manager in Space and Missile Defense Command for missile defense system targets. He also served in Army Ordnance units at Fort Benning, GA, the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, and as a Staff Officer on the Department of the Army Staff. Upon his military retirement in 1998, he was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service. Other awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Superior Unit Award while assigned to a Pershing Missile unit.

Following his military service, Taylor remained active in Army acquisition programs, working as a contractor with Battelle and ITT Industries. He later became a Department of the Army Civilian once again supporting the MANPRINT program. In his capacity working with MANPRINT during both his active duty career and as a civilian, Taylor was well known as a “go-to” person for expertise in that arena.

Throughout his life, Taylor had a variety of interests, including firearms, automobiles, music (as an accomplished drummer), distance running (having completed a marathon), and cycling.

Taylor is survived by two sons, Lauris Taylor Jones IV (and his wife Jennifer Jones) and Daniel Brady Jones (and his wife Bridget Jones). He is also survived by his mother, Ann Jones; his sister, Mitchell Ponder; dedicated care giver, Kelly Hopkins; and his former spouse, Kathrine Mary Jones. He loved and was beloved by many friends.

Memorials or donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.

A Memorial Service will be held at Legacy Chapel Funeral Home on Sunday June 13th at 1:00pm.