Elder Edwin Herbert Jones

On Friday, July 2, Elder Edwin H. Jones, age 81, passed away. The way he died is just like he lived: he wrote his own rules. After months of failing health and being in and out of the hospital, he died peacefully within his home with his loving family. His parents welcomed him to the world on Sunday, December 3, 1939, in Panama. He would later migrate to the United States and enlist into the military. Eddie, as he liked to be called, lived a full and warm life. Eddie was predeceased by his parents, Joseph and Ermine Jones, and several siblings. He is survived by his wife of 56 years Dorothy Jones, his sister Gertrude Jones; sister-in-law, Carmen Jones; his daughter and her husband Ronald and Melody White; his son and his wife, Edwin Jones and Ethel Carter-Jones; grandchildren, Jamie Hollins, Quiana Philogene, Edwin Nathan Jones, Ronniece White, Ronald White Jr, Alexandria White, and Maxwell Jones plus 5 great grandchildren and a plethora of loving cousins, nephews, nieces and friends. As a very young man Eddie learned to work hard and he paved the way for himself and others in his family. Strong willed and very determined, if you said he couldn’t do something, he would make sure to show you that he could. He was a proud Veteran of the United States Army and the Army National Guard. He was a dedicated and loyal member of the American Legion till his death. He called the William E Carter Post #16 home for numerous years until he moved to South Carolina and became a member of American Post 34. He retired from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts State Prison system, moved to Puerto Rico and took a position within the Puerto Rican Prison system. He was also a very skilled carpenter by trade. Eddie had a hand in a multitude of local projects. He helped build the Christian Science Center and even built a home in Puerto Rico. After retirement, he did not slow down. He loved farming and agriculture and even had a farm in Puerto Rico where he and his wife loved taking care of their grandchildren during summer vacation months. Eddie would later move to South Carolina and work at a local college. It was at that same time he became an Elder at his local church, where he would help build an altar and help make other restorations around the church. Elder Edwin H. Jones was a rare combination of someone who had a love of life and a firm understanding of what was important — the simplicity of living a life with those you love and making the most out of the time that you have in this life. He loved his family and instilled in his children and grandchildren strong values that have and will continue to serve them well as they navigate through life. He treasured his children and embraced every moment with them. He especially loved his role as Grandpa and Great Grandpa. Eddie was a strong, proud and selfless man who will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.