Otis Ray Jones' Obituary
Otis “Ray” Jones passed away on August 25, 2021, at his home in Dallas with his loving wife and family by his side.
Ray was such a loving, caring and kind man who always had a smile on his face.
Otis Ray Jones was preceded in death by his father Wilbert Jones; his mother Pansy Winningham Jones; daughter Ann Robertson; his sister Wanda Woods; and brother Wayne Jones.
He is survived by his wife Patsy of 68 years; daughters Rosalyn Edens, spouse Marvin of Chandler, TX; Kim Dobbs, spouse Marcus of Mineola, TX; Connie Lovejoy, spouse Curtis of Midlothian, TX; his brother Gene Jones, spouse Mabel of Thornburg, AR.
Ray has 13 Grandchildren; Cody Enis, spouse Mary of Lawton, OK; Annaca Harrison, Spouse Chris of Ponder, TX; Charles Hyde of Mineola, TX; Jamie Davis, Spouse Kevin of Frost, TX; Ashley Norton of Midlothian, TX; Chasity Clark, spouse Ryan of Waxahachie, TX; Jenny Dickerson of Granbury, TX; Curtis Lovejoy Jr. of Alvarado, TX; Matt Edens, spouse Lauren of North Richland Hills, TX; Chad Edens spouse, Diann of Keller, TX; Timothy Dobbs of Hawkins, TX; Chelsea Oliver of Alba, TX; Andy Hudgins, spouse Tara of Vilonia, AR.; 30 great grandchildren and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Pallbearers: Tommy Chaffin, Doyle Chaffin, Gary Jones, Chris Harrison, Kevin Davis, and Ryan Clark
Honorary Pallbearers: Bruce Dunai, Jerry Halcomb, David Lewis, Bill Litner, Kelly Emery, Tim Smith, and Jim Gunn.
Ray was born in Granite, OK, December 20, 1928, to Wilbert and Pansy Jones. He was the oldest of four children. The family moved from Granite to Thornburg, Arkansas when he was two years old. His dad was a farmer, and his mother was a homemaker.
Ray became interested in music at an early age. He learned to play the harmonica at the age of nine and entertained his classmates at school. He started playing the guitar at the age of fifteen and at the age of sixteen, he decided he wanted to play the fiddle after hearing James Evan, a fiddler player with the Ozark Mountaineers, a band out of Little Rock, Arkansas which put on a concert at his school. He knew then that the fiddle was the musical instrument that he would love to play.
Ray played the fiddle at every opportunity while gaining experience. He graduated from high school as the valedictorian of his class and received a scholarship to attend Arkansas Tech but chose to pursue music rather than going to college.
In early 1948 he joined a band, Les Gibbs and the Arkansawers in Little Rock, AR and played with them for a while. Ray played with several bands while in Little Rock.
Ray moved to Blytheville, AR. In December 1948 and joined “The Melody Playboys Band” and played on the Radio Station KLCN. He played the fiddle and clarinet with “The Melody Playboys” and traveled through Arkansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
While playing with “The Melody Playboys” he receives his draft notice was drafted into the army December 12, 1950. He served two years at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, while at Fort Chaffee he joined Captain John D. Quick, a Chaplin who formed “The CCB Band”, which was a Western Swing and Country Music Band, made up of soldiers of the 70th Medium Tank Battalion. The CCB Band played concerts for Civic Organizations and other concerts. The band also broadcasted on Radio Stations in Fort Smith, AR.
He also played with Fuzzy Owens who became Merle Haggard manager. Ray and Fuzzy have remained good friends through the years.
While playing at one of the Civic Organizations, Ray met the love of his life, Patsy Chaffin. He received an honorable discharged from the Army on December 11, 1952. Ray and Pat married December 13, 1952, at Barling Methodist Church, they were married 68 years until his passing on August 25, 2021. They moved to Dallas, TX in January 1953. They have three beautiful daughters.
The first band he joined was in Dallas included Maurice Anderson, Walter Lyons, Billy and Bobby McBay. He was also employed by Braniff Airways for 30 years.
Later he joined Dewey Groom an “The Texas Longhorn Ballroom Band”. After playing with Dewey Groom for over a year, Ray started radio school five nights a week under the GI Bill and had to give up playing with the “The Texas Longhorn Band”. He played with other bands on the weekend. He joined the Leroy Thompson Band and played on the weekends with him for several years. Ray was also on a television show called “The Country Picnic” until it went off air.
Ray joined the “Cross Timbers Country Opry” in Stephenville, TX in January 1979. He remained at the Opry for more than twelve years. Later he was approached to play “The Burleson Jamboree” near Ft. Worth, TX and played there for five years. Ray has played several shows with Buck Trent and Shoji Tabuchi. Ray has played with several Nashville stars, such as Jack Green, Jean Shepard, Norma Jean, Leona Williams, Melba Montgomery, Merle Tavis, Frenchie Burke and Boxcar Willie. Other entertainers he has played with are Hank Thompson, Sammy Smith, Claude Gray, Leon Rauch, Noel Haggard, and Johnny Gimble. He has played for several Political events including one for George Bush when he was running for a second term as Texas Governor.
Ray started playing with Hank Thompson and “The Brazos Valley Boys” in 1992 until Hank’s last concert which was October 8, 2007, in Waco, TX. He felt so honored to play with Hank for many years. He played at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop #6 at the Fort Worth Stockyards when he wasn’t playing with Hank Thompson.
Ray has won several awards over the years including Fiddler and Mandolin player from Cross Timbers Opry Association for years 1983,1984,1987,1988 and was surprised with a special award in appreciation for his many years at the Opry in 2013. Metroplex Country Music Association presented awards to each member of the Burleson Jamboree Band for the years 1992, 1993, 1994 for the best band of the year.
In 1994 Ray was awarded Fiddle Player of the Year by the Terry Awards, which was a real honor for him to be chosen over so many great fiddlers.
In 2019 Ray won an award for the Living Legend Western Swing Fiddler.
Ray’s last fiddling gig was February 2020 in Houston, TX.
He laid his fiddle down for the last time August 25, 2021.
Services for Ray will be 10:00am Friday, September 3, 2021 in Memorial Chapel at Restland Funeral Home. There will be a time of visitation 4:00 until 6:00pm Thursday afternoon at the funeral home. Burial will be 9:30am Monday, September 6, 2021 at DFW National Cemetery.
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