Copiah County, Mississippi

Copiah County Obituaries & Biographies

Edward Otis Bufkin, Jr. of Farmers Branch, Texas, passed away on August 31, 2024 at his beloved ranch in Clayton, Oklahoma.

Ed was born on February 28, 1943 in Edwards, Mississippi to Edward Otis Bufkin, Sr. and Anne Marie Bufkin (Phillips). He grew up in Clinton, Mississippi, where he made friends easily and was a natural leader and star athlete. One of his favorite memories was his basketball team winning state his senior year. After graduating high school, Ed attended Tulane University on a full football scholarship. He would gladly tell you that one of the worst days of his life was the day he played defense against Joe Namath.

Turning down offers from Vince Lombardi and George Halas (and keeping offer letters from them in his sock drawer all his life) he instead earned his MBA from Tulane. He married Joan Annette Bufkin (Tobias) and they moved to Texas, where they raised three children, and Ed entered the oil and gas business. He worked for Lone Star Gas for many years before starting his own company, Campeon, where he was assisted devotedly for decades by Kim Bleakney-James.

People often marveled that Ed was still in touch with friends from grade school, high school, and college, as well as his many business friends and hunting buddies. They gravitated towards "Big Ed" for his hearty laugh, stellar storytelling skills and corny (and often off-color) jokes. He was a prankster, fisher, hunter, gardner, grill master, jam and jelly canner and college and pro football fan! He loved his Dallas Cowboys from the day they were formed and raised his children to follow America's Team. Among his many friends, perhaps the most important was his 42 year friendship with Bill Wilson. Through that friendship he was able to touch the lives of many men and women in Dallas, and served as an inspiration to them.

Grandpa Ed loved his grandchildren deeply and never tired of hearing about them or from them. They were the light of his life. He also dearly loved and delighted in his five nephews, their families, and his cousins and their children, and they knew it! Among all the people he loved, the very luckiest were the ones who called him "Daddy." He will be remembered and missed, always.

Ed is survived by his sister, Sandra Northern (Robert) of Oxford, Mississippi, his children, Shari Nelson (Karl) of Dallas, Texas, Mark Bufkin (Linda) of Cranford, New Jersey, Renée Bufkin (Gabe) of Reno, Nevada, and his grandchildren Madeline, Audrey, Emily, Hawkeye, Meadowlark, Thorne, Floriane, Olivia and Ava. He is also survived by his nephews Gerry, Ted, Patrick, Christopher and Michael.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Thomas Bufkin of Jackson, Mississippi, his former wife, Joan Bufkin of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and his longtime partner, Liz Walters.

The funeral service will be held at 3:00 on Friday, September 6, at Sparkman Hillcrest Funeral Home Chapel in Dallas, with visitation beginning at 2:00, and a reception to follow. Interment will take place at Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, on Sunday, September 8 at 3:00 PM, with a reception to follow at the family farmhouse.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ed's memory to The 24 Hour Club in Dallas. http://www.dallas24hourclub.org/edbufkin.

dignitymemorial.com