Andrew Nolan Jones

Andy Jones, Charleston Realtor, Corporate Director, and Former Wall Street Executive, Dies at 81

Andy Jones, an accomplished realtor with William Means Real Estate, passed away at Roper Hospital in Charleston, SC on Tuesday, November 12. He was 81.

Andy is survived by his loving son, Jamie Waby; his grandsons, Owen and Asher; his granddaughter, Emma Rose; his daughter-in-law, Kristen; and many, many friends.

A native of Atlanta, Andy knew at an early age that Charleston would become his permanent home, where he spent the past 30 years.

As former Wall Street executive and consultant on the Board level to dozens of Fortune 500 companies, Andy experienced great success in applying his negotiating skills to the Lowcountry real estate market.

Andy listed and sold some of the most distinguished properties in Charleston. He represented clients from throughout the United States and around the world to find or sell their homes in Charleston. As a top producer, Andy sold over $90,000,000 in real estate and has been honored by being named to the Realtors of Distinction on multiple occasions.

In the early 1970s, Andy began his professional career with Kidder Peabody, where he initially was in institutional debt sales. He later became one of the youngest Officers in the firm and moved into multiple management and staff positions.

In the early 80s, Andy joined Bateman Eichler Hill Richards in Los Angeles, with marketing responsibilities for 35 offices and seven departments. During that time, Andy was a member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

In 1982 Andy moved to New York City, and joined Georgeson and Company as a Senior Vice President, the country’s preeminent proxy solicitation/tender defense firm. In 1984 he was appointed Chief Marketing Officer, and during his nine-year tenure with the firm he secured over 75 Fortune 500 companies as clients.

Working with the Chairman of Georgeson, Andy assumed an ever increasing role in consulting, and advised Boards, CEO’s, and other senior corporate executives on corporate takeover strategies, including Disney and Gillette.

In 1986 he was appointed to the Management Committee and in 1988 he was named a Managing Director, becoming one of the six highest ranking officers in the firm.

Outside of work, during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Andy discovered his passion for the French countryside in Normandy.

After taking early retirement from his Wall Street career, Andy spent much of his time in Normandy, along with Paris, New York, and Charleston. He was a member and regular resident of the Saint James Club in Paris. His property outside of Deauville, Le Lieu de Caille, was the scene of many many parties, including American Fourth of July celebrations with spectacular fireworks displays.

In the mid 1990s, Andy sold his upper East Side New York property and purchased a home in the Historic District of Charleston, where he lived for much of his remaining life.

Andy joined William Means Real Estate in 1999, and thoroughly enjoyed his more than two decades representing buyers and sellers of some of the most significant properties in Charleston.

In 2020, Andy was asked to become the Senior Advisory Director of One Team Capital, a leading financial funding company based in the greater New York City metropolitan area. During his tenure, the firm grew exponentially with transactions exceeding $100,000,000.

Andy attended Wake Forest University and LaGrange College, earning a B.A. in Economics and Psychology at LaGrange, where he was elected President of his Senior Class. Later, Andy received one of the highest honors LaGrange College can give an alumnus: the Malcolm Shackelford Award.

In memory and honor of his father, Andy established a significant scholarship Fund at Emory University, which has financially enabled over 20 students to complete their studies in medicine and science.

Even though Andy was seriously ill with MDS and leukemia for over ten years, he never showed it, and never complained. Andy was extremely grateful to Dr. George Geils, Dr. Wills Geils, Dr. William Carter, Dr. Sandra Hannegan, and Dr. Keith Lackey for their never ending support.

At Andy’s request, no formal services will be planned.