Biography:

Earl M. Jones Jr., 84, forever “Earl Jr.,” passed away April 1 in Little Rock. He was an appreciative husband who lucked into a couple of great 30-year marriages, a relentlessly devoted father, and a so-so businessman who hit his career stride when he was elected state representative in the 1970s and then became a lobbyist in the second half of his life.

He was a great friend to about everyone he met, disagreements or no, but his human loved ones sometimes wondered where they ranked compared to his long-lived dogs. And he liked nothing more than getting family, friends, and dogs together (at the lake was fine) to talk about making the community better. Camping, biking, books, boats and Corvettes were also on his list of likes. Dallas Cowboys–not so much lately.

Born June 30, 1938, in Wadesboro, NC, his parents Earl Sr. and Edith moved with Earl Jr. to Texarkana in October 1947 so the family could establish the Belk-Jones Department Store Group in Arkansas and Texas.

Earl Jr. was a 1956 graduate and Class President of Arkansas High in Texarkana. At Ouachita Baptist College he was the President of the Beta Social Club. He married Martha Ann Wilson and returned to Texarkana to work in the family business and start a family.

Determined to make his own way beyond Belk-Jones, Earl. Jr. sold men’s suits, mobile homes and gasoline. At various times he had business interests in convenience stores, motels, restaurants, and rental cars.

He was most proud to serve his community. He became the President of the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of United Way of Texarkana, and was recognized with the Palmer Award for civic contributions. He also served as president of the boards of St. Michael Hospital and of Opportunities, Inc. for many years. More broadly, he served on the Board of Trustees of Ouachita Baptist College and Southern State College. He also served as President of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce.

He didn’t mind being called “a politician,” and he credited his success to putting friends together to work out compromises. He served three terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives beginning in 1975. He authored and passed legislation to protect children suffering from neglect and abuse, to require state agencies to be more accountable and periodically reviewed, and to exempt residents of Texarkana, AR from paying state income tax.

Earl Jr. then used that experience to become a lobbyist until he retired in his late 70s–about the time “compromise” went out of fashion.

But his greatest achievements might have come as a flag football coach. He and a couple of friends started a team, the Eagles, mainly so they could be sure their kids, of varying talent, would get a chance to play. The Eagles became “a dynasty,” or so Earl Jr.’s obit notes specify. He was especially proud, however, when the Eagles–Black, Brown and White, past and present–would come by the house on Jefferson Ave. for some backyard football or hoops in the driveway or just to say hello, even when racial tensions in Texarkana were assumed to be high.

To know Earl Jr., all you had to do was visit his study. Whether the 1960s Jefferson Ave. home, the historic Quapaw Quarter house where he and Martha Ann moved in the 1980s, or the West Little Rock townhouse he shared with Helen for nearly 30 years, those cozy rooms were pure Earl Jr.: an embarrassing shrine of family photos, personalized portraits of every Arkansas governor from Rockefeller to Beebe (and a few poses with Presidents off to the side), bookshelves loaded with histories and biographies, and an easy chair for reading and for his sons and guests to sit and chat in while they listened to Sinatra or Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash. And, always, a big, comfortable dog bed beside him and a stash of treats in the desk drawer, so Earl Jr. had someone to talk with who never disagreed.

His favorite saying was “what you give, you keep; what you keep, you lose.”

Earl Jr. was preceded in death by his parents and sister Charlotte, and his first wife, Martha Ann.

He is survived by his wife, Helen Kern Jones; sons and daughters-in-law Kevin and Lori, Alan and Ellen, and Chip and Cynthia; step-daughter and son-in-law Susan and Stuart Jones; brother Milton; 11 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

An interment service will be held at 10 A.M. Thursday, April 6, at Mount Holly Cemetery, 1200 Broadway Street, Little Rock, officiated by Rev. Thompson W. Murray.

A remembrance ceremony will take place at 3 P.M. April 6 at East Funeral Home, 602 Olive St., Texarkana (don’t tell Earl Jr., but it’s on the Texas side), officiated by Rev. Elvis Scott.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Opportunities, Inc., 6101 N State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX 75503; and The United Way of Texarkana, 214 Spruce St., Texarkana, TX 75501.