MILTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Loved ones and community members are set together in Milton on Sunday to celebrate the life of Boston University professor David Jones, who died after apparently falling through a decrepit staircase near an MBTA station.
The public viewing service in Milton, where Jones lived with his wife and children, will begin at 1 p.m.
Another memorial for Jones, who taught in the Department of Health Law, Policy and Management, is set to take place at BU’s Hiebert Lounge and on Zoom next Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m.
Those looking to attend the BU memorial either in-person or via Zoom are asked to register online.
Jones, 40, was found dead under a stairway that connects Old Colony Road to the Columbia Road overpass across from the JFK MBTA Station around 1:30 p.m. last Saturday, according to state police.
Detectives reportedly observed a gap in the stairs above Jones’ body. The stairs, which are state property, had been deemed unsafe and closed for about 20 months, state police said.
“The stairs have been terrible for a long, long time. They should have been taken down a long time ago,” said MBTA passenger Romaine Godfrey on Monday.
Jones joined BU’s School of Public Health in 2014 and was the founding editor-in-chief of the Public Health post.
He received multiple awards including AUPHA’s John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators, AcademyHealth’s Outstanding Dissertation Award, and the BU School of Public Health Excellence in Teaching Award.
“I told my wife if they show me where the morgue is I might try to ask God to bring him back from the dead,” said friend and neighbor Ohene Asare. “He was that meaningful and it feels like such loss.”
An investigation into his death remains ongoing. Friends have set up a GoFundMe page for Jones’ family.
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