The widow of a former Cumming police chief said her husband loved his family, church and giving to those in need.

“He wasn’t a flamboyant person,” Treva Jones said of her late husband, Buck. “He was very quiet and very laid back and he loved people. He loved his family.”

Buck Jones passed away Friday at age 70.

A motorcycle enthusiast, he started the Buck Jones Toy Run in 1991.

The event occurs annually on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, with proceeds going to children in need in Forsyth, Dawson and Lumpkin counties.

Though he had to stop riding a motorcycle a few years ago, Jones had been able to keep the fundraiser going with help from Don Parkinson, owner of Bikers Dream of Atlanta.

The motorcycle shop co-sponsors and organizes the event with the Dawsonville Pool Room.

Parkinson said Jones’ legacy will live on, though the word “memorial” will be added to the event’s name.

“I’ve known him since about 1992, 1993,” Parkinson said. “He was just a good friend, good man and a good guy to be around.”

Jones said her late husband had been actively involved at Concord Baptist Church up until the past two months, when his health began to deteriorate.

She said at one point he was president of his Sunday school class, which had about 50 members.

“He loved our church,” she said.

Buck Jones served as chief of the Cumming Police Department from 1997 to 2005.

Treva Jones said her husband had to retire because of his health, but continued to work for the city for a couple more years in community relations.

“He wanted to stay busy,” she said. “He loved the city of Cumming.”

Mayor Ford Gravitt said Jones was an asset to the city.

“He was a dedicated law enforcement officer who used common sense with his approach to enforce the law,” said Gravitt, adding that Jones was “a great humanitarian.”

Gravitt said as community relations director, Jones was adept at working with Cumming’s constituency.

“Regardless of what kind of problems they had, he would point them in the right direction, especially a lot of newcomers that would move into the city,” Gravitt said.

"They would call and may not know the procedure for getting a water meter or getting your garbage service to your residence. He was a tremendous asset working with the city in that respect.”

In addition to his wife, Jones is survived by his sons, Steven Jones of Cumming and Billy Herring of Indiana; daughters, Kathi Mathews and Sandra Furcron of Lexington, and Terri Goss of Dahlonega; and other relatives.