Edward A. James

Edward Arthur James, Jr. was born in Baltimore, Maryland on October 19, 1930 to the late Edward Arthur James, Sr. and to Elizabeth James. On March 10, 2005, after a short time of illness, the Lord called Edward Jr. home. Sonny, as he was fondly known to his family and friends, was the oldest of 15 children. He attended Baltimore City Public Schools. As the oldest boy in the family, Sonny started working at a very young age to help make ends meet. In 1948, Sonny married Delores B. Archer, and out of that union 8 children, 5 girls and 3 boys, were born. At a young age Sonny accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Sonny was greatly loved by his wife and children; and beloved by his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews alike. He was known to have a great sense of humor, and loved to kid around with his family and friends. Sonny was a skilled amateur artist, and had a particular love for painting and home improvement. On any given day, you may run into Sonny at various second hand stores looking for items that he could restore to better than new condition. He had a special knack for putting colors and designs together to produce a beautiful decorative piece that he would display in his home or give as a gift. Sonny was a lover of music, with a special liking for jazz, and he passed on that appreciation of jazz to his children and other family members. Holiday time for the James family was a special time for the whole family. When Sonny and Dolly's children were young, Christmas was an especially fun time for him. Sonny liked to stay up all night on Christmas Eve to decorate the house and the Christmas tree. He wouldn't allow the children to help because he wanted to surprise them with his handiwork. Sonny invited his Sisters and Brothers to the house to stay up all night with him while he did his decorating magic. Over the years his children have said that they can still remember the laughter that was coming from the living room on Christmas Eve while Dolly, Sonny and his Brothers and Sisters had fun together. Over the years Sonny worked as a skilled laborer at Sparrows Point, as a print operator at a printing company, and various other jobs. Sonny retired in 1990. Sonny leaves to cherish his memory: his beautiful, loving wife of 57 years of marriage, Delores James; his dear mother, Elizabeth James; 8 children, Elder Edward "Eddie" James, III, Dolleen Stewart, Levette James, Lolita McGhee, Donnell James, Carolyn James, Elizabeth Jackson, and Darin James; 15 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild, Covey; 4 brothers, Paul, Howard, Henry, and Joe; 8 sisters, Marion, Mary, Louise, Pauline, Dorothy, Rhoda, Sonia, Eunice; daughter-in-law, Joice James and son-in-law, Daniel Stewart; sister and brothers-in-law; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. We thank God for the life of Edward Arthur James, Jr. We praise him for the years that he allowed Sonny to be with us. Sonny will be sorely missed!!

Tributes

Edward A. James

October 19, 1930 - March 10, 2005