Edward Lee (Ed) Hughes prayed daily to his “gracious heavenly Father.” He gave thanks for the “many, many blessings” bestowed on his family, and concluded by asking the Lord to “see us through this day.”
The Lord stood with Ed for 82 bountiful years, and welcomed him into eternal fellowship with all the faithful departed shortly before dawn on Sunday, June 8, 2008.
Mr. Hughes’ strong heart gave out on his 30th day in the Southeast Texas Medical Center. He had resisted the onslaught of Parkinson’s for years, enduring with a blend of calm grace and dogged determination.
“Paw” was a charter member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Nederland’s self-described “hometown grocer” for 40 years. and a founding partner of the Market Basket supermarket chain.
Visitation will be Tuesday, 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church sanctuary in Nederland. Pastor Francis Schroeder and Associate Pastor Dave Bass will conduct a service celebrating his life Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 10 a.m. Entombment will be at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches. Funeral arrangements are under direction of Broussard’s Mortuary in Nederland.
Ed is survived by many family members and friends. He leaves his second wife, Marion, then known as Mrs. Crowe by the Hughes children in their old Nederland neighborhood. All have been grateful to see them share 10 years together.
Nederland’s library is named for Ed and his first wife, also named Marion, who died shortly after the building dedication. He was also pre-deceased by two children who died in vehicle accidents, daughter Tyse at the age of 17 and son Hamp at the age of 39.
Surviving are daughters Lynne Hollomon, Beth DeVillier and husband Russ, and Catherine Bruney and husband Gavin, all of Nederland; son Mike Hughes and wife Gretchen of Rosanky; grand-daughters Carrie Slagle of Pearland and Amanda McLauchlin, Savannah Hughes and Emma Bruney of Nederland; grandsons Casey Hollomon of Magnolia, Marshall Hughes of Nederland and Zachary and Bodie Hughes of Rosanky; great-grandsons Khale and Cooper Hollomon and Cameron Slagle; great grand-daughter Annabeth Slagle; step-son John Crowe of Lumberton; step-grandsons Craig and Mark DeVillier, and Alec and Andrew Bruney, all of Nederland, and Johnny Crowe of Lubbock; and half-brother Rusty Hughes of Jacksonville, Fl.
Ed was drawn to the Lutheran faith when a pastor visited with him and his polio-stricken young wife in a Houston hospital. They were parents of toddlers Lynne and Beth at the time. Mrs. Hughes recovered and later gave birth to their four other children, and ran the Hughes household from her wheelchair.
For 40 years beginning in 1961, Ed fulfilled his dream of being Nederland’s hometown grocer. He estimated employing more than 2,500 at two locations, and was proud that many youngsters used their Hughes Market Basket income to help make first-time car purchases or to pay for college expenses.
Mr. Hughes was a salesman for a grocery wholesaler in Houston when he set his sights on becoming a storeowner in the 1950s. His first venture was at a store “nobody else wanted” in Port Arthur. He kept it open about 20 months and was happy to “break even.”
He opened a new location at Lincoln and Jefferson in downtown Groves and later sold out to Bruce Thompson, beginning a business and personal relationship that flourished through the years.
In 1961, Ed opened a new supermarket on Nederland Avenue. Business surpassed expectations as the friendly neighborhood service attracted loyal customers. A year later, Mr. Hughes and Mr. Thompson bought their first two stores together in Port Neches. The deal was the forerunner of the Market Basket chain, which eventually totaled some 30 stores.
After 20 years on Nederland Avenue, Ed developed Holland Square, a shopping center featuring an expanded Market Basket, and several other tenants. He enjoyed time there and could often be seen pitching in to help sackers during rush hours. In 200l, after a half-century plus in the grocery business, Mr. Hughes retired and sold his two stores to Mr. Thompson.
Ed was born and raised in South Park, attended Lamar Junior College, and attended Marine Corps Officers’ Candidate School at USL in Lafayette and at the University of North Carolina.
He was gifted with an industrious and entrepreneurial spirit. As a youngster, Ed worked in a bakery; sold shoes at a family store and airtime for a radio station; worked in the South Park school bus maintenance department, and spent a summer as an oilfield roughneck.
Ed enjoyed serving on the Wilton and Effie Hebert Foundation, which has supported many community endeavors with generous grants. It was Mr. Hebert, then a Port Neches banker, who confidently backed Ed’s initial venture in Nederland.
Mr. Hughes’ Sunday routine began with worship at Holy Cross, lunch at his Pompano Club, watching televised ball games, and presiding over traditional family suppers.
After retirement, he remained active in cattle business at Cheek and with Mike at the Rosanky ranch.
Leisure highlights included pantomiming countless old Western re-runs, playing dominoes with Marion and his caregivers, and loyal attendance at Lamar Cardinal basketball games. His faith in the program was capped last season when he watched the Cards capture a conference co-championship.
Pallbearers will be announced on Monday.
The family is deeply appreciative of the support provided by caregivers Nina Disomba, Patricia Hubbard, Lisa McDaniel, Eugenia Harrison and Margaret Campbell.
Memorial gifts may be made to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 2711 Helena Avenue, Nederland, 77627 or the Marion and Ed Hughes Library, 2712 Nederland Avenue, Nederland, 77627.
