Edward W. Jones Sr.

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Eddy had three great lifelong passions: Sheila Queen, fast cars and Elvis Presley.

Edward Wayman “Eddy” Jones Sr., also known to many as “Big E,” passed away at his home in Kennedale, Texas, on September 20, 2026, at the age of 78.

Eddy was born on May 21, 1948, at All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, to Pate Jones and Mildred Parsons Jones. He grew up in Fort Worth with his brothers, Billy and Bobby, and graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1965. He later attended Fort Worth Technical School.

At just 17 years old, Eddy went to work for his father and learned every aspect of the asphalt-paving business. In 1981, Eddy and his wife, Sheila, joined with his siblings to incorporate Pate Jones Paving. Eddy later expanded the company’s services to include concrete paving for contractors throughout the area. Although he semi-retired in 2020, retirement never suited him particularly well, and he continued showing up at the business nearly every day. Pate Jones Paving, founded in 1953, remains in business today.

Eddy married Sheila M. Queen in Granbury, Texas, in 1964, when their daughter, Tammy, was three months old. Their son, Edward Jr., was born in 1966. That same year, Eddy and Sheila purchased their family home in Kennedale, where they raised their two children and built a life together. They later made their home on the family property, alongside the business to which they had devoted so many years. Eddy and Sheila shared 62 years of marriage.

Eddy had three great lifelong passions: Sheila Queen, fast cars and Elvis Presley.

He began drag racing as a very young man and raced for many years. Some of Tammy’s earliest memories are of toddling around beneath the fender wells and stepping over tools while her daddy and his friend Lloyd worked on race cars in the family garage. Long after Eddy stopped racing himself, he remained an enthusiastic fan of the sport, rarely missing drag racing on television and especially enjoying watching John Force.

Elvis was the soundtrack of the Jones family’s life. On Saturday mornings, Tammy and Eddie were often awakened by their daddy playing Elvis on the stereo loudly enough to blast them out of bed. When the grandchildren came along, they received the same musical education. Eddy and Sheila attended Elvis concerts throughout their lives, and after Elvis’s death, Graceland became a special place they returned to year after year. Eddy made certain that everyone in his family knew—and heard—exactly who the King was.

Eddy was preceded in death by his parents, Pate and Mildred Jones; his brother, Bobby Jones Sr.; and his nephews, Bobby Jones Jr. and Billy Jones Jr.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Sheila Jones; his daughter, Tammy Jones, and her husband, Jeff Madrid; and his son, Edward “Eddie” Jones Jr and Mary Ann. 

He is also survived by his grandchildren: Anastasia Mae O’Connor and her husband JB; Ashley Banazak and her husband, Eric; Cody Jones and his wife, Melody; and Leigha and her husband, Lakin.

His great-grandchildren are Caroline, Octavia, Allison, Audrey, Adam, Leif, Eleanor. He is also survived by his brother, Billy Jones, along with numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

Eddy worked hard, lived loudly, and left behind a family business, a lifetime of stories, and generations of family who will never hear an Elvis song or the roar of a race car without thinking of Big E.