Christian Action League
December 16, 2012
North Carolina’s beloved Senator for the 4th District passed away Friday, December 14th at age 62. He had suffered from pancreatic cancer.
Senator Ed Jones (D), whose signature look was to don a bow-tie served the counties of Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Northhampton, and Perquimans.
Jones, a U.S. Army veteran, had served in the 82nd Airborne Division. He earned a degree in Police Science and worked for the North Carolina Highway Patrol as a patrolman for thirty years. After retiring, he became the chief of Police for the town of Enfield.
“I had great respect for Senator Jones,” said Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. “Senator Jones brought a wealth of experience as a law enforcement officer to the table.”
He was the co-chairman of a commission of lawmakers assigned the task of finding ways to make certain the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s crime lab activities were performed properly. The assignment came on the heels of a harsh review that brought many of the lab’s methods into question.
Senator Jones’ rise in politics started when he was elected the Mayor of Enfield in 2002. His trajectory upward was swift when he was appointed to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2005 to fill the vacancy of Rep. John D. Hall (D), after Hall’s death. In 2006 Jones was duly elected to the same seat. However, the untimely death of state Senator Robert L. Holliman (D), which occurred between the period that Jones was elected and the start of the next session, resulted in him resigning his House seat and being appointed by Governor Mike Easley to fill Holloman’s Senate seat on January 25, 2007. He was re-elected to this post in 2008, 2010 and 2012.
During his tenure in the Senate, Jones served on a number of strategic committees, which included Education, Judiciary 2, Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and Public Safety, Mental Health, Youth Services, Ways and Means, and State and Local Government.
“Back in the Spring,” said Rev. Creech, “after a committee meeting, one of the Senate members came up to me and said in hushed tones, ‘Reverend, Ed jones needs our prayers. He’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.’ I immediately went over to Ed to see if I could catch him privately about the matter. We spoke and I found him determined. He said, ‘Reverend, I’m not going to give into this thing. I’m going to fight it.’ Then I took a moment to pray with him.”
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger of Eden said of Jones, “Sen. Ed Jones was a dedicated public servant who cared deeply for people – his family, friends, constituents, colleagues and even strangers. He was truly one of the finest people I have ever met, and I will miss him greatly.”
“Ed impressed me as the kind of fellow that was well-grounded – a reflective man of gracious character,” said Rev. Creech. “He wasn’t a partisan, but a human being. His public service was about just that – service. His heart was in the right place.”
Democrats will now have to pick a successor for Jones, who will serve in the new district redrawn by lawmakers in 2011, which include the counties of Halifax, Vance, Warren, and parts of Nash and Wilson Counties.
Jones leaves behind a wife, Mary Ann Holden of Wendell, two daughters, Alesha Garrett and Andrea Long, and two granddaughters, Karisma and Karmyn Garrett.
Supporters of the Christian Action League are urged at this time to remember Sen. Jones’ family in their prayers.
To view arrangements for funeral services, click here