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Edward L. Jones Jr., 82, former stockbroker who became chairman, CEO of AAA Mid-Atlantic

Mr. Jones had careers as a stock broker and later, the CEO of an auto club. But much of his time was spent as a devoted civic volunteer.

Edward L. Jones Jr.
Edward L. Jones Jr.Read moreCourtesy of the Jones Family (custom credit)

Edward L. Jones Jr., 82, of Wynnewood, a former stockbroker who was chairman and CEO of AAA Mid-Atlantic for two decades, died Monday, Dec. 17, at Lankenau Medical Center of injuries he sustained in a Dec. 11 fall at the Union League of Philadelphia. His death was an accident, Montgomery County officials said.

Mr. Jones spent his last night in public telling stories with his friends at the Union League, which he had led in the late 1980s, said his son, Edward L. Jones III. “He was a raconteur who enjoyed holding court over a cocktail," his son said. "It was one of his favorite things to do.”

Mr. Jones was born in Philadelphia to Edward L. Jones Sr. and Helene de Malkhazouny Jones. He graduated from the Episcopal Academy in 1953 and four years later from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi, informally known as St. Anthony Hall, and the Mask and Wig Club.

He received a degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1961. After graduating, he worked for the Philadelphia law firm of Walter Gibbons for two years. During that time, he served in the U.S. Army Reserves.

In 1963, Mr. Jones became a stockbroker with Kidder, Peabody & Co. in Center City. He left Kidder in 1981 to become chairman and CEO of what was then the Keystone Automobile Club and Insurance Company.

Over the next 20 years, Mr. Jones helped to expand the auto club from a small, local affiliate of AAA into a business entity with a regional presence renamed AAA Mid-Atlantic. Mid-Atlantic amassed 3 million members. He retired in 2001.

Mr. Jones was a dedicated civic volunteer. He served as chairman of the board of Cedar Crest College in Allentown, a board member and treasurer of the Episcopal Academy, and a founding trustee and vice-chairman of Main Line Health.

When Main Line Health merged with the Jefferson Health System in 1995, he joined the board of Thomas Jefferson University. He was chairman of the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, an independent, nonprofit biomedical research center located in Wynnewood.

He served as a trustee of the Norristown-based Arcadia Foundation, which funds projects involving health care, social and animal welfare, the environment, historical preservation, and music.

Mr. Jones was a longtime member of the Union League of Philadelphia, and the club’s president from 1989 to 1990. He was also a member of the Philadelphia Club, the Merion Golf Club, and the Gulph Mills Golf Club.

Mr. Jones maintained vacation homes in Stone Harbor, N.J., and Tucson, Ariz., where he was a member of the Ventana Canyon Golf and Racquet Club and the Mountain Oyster Club.

He was a devoted family man, who loved nothing better than having all his relatives together, said his son.

“He was a wonderful father,” his son said. “He loved spending time in Stone Harbor. We will miss him tremendously.”

In addition to his son, Mr. Jones is survived by his wife, Meredith Smith Jones; a daughter Julie Schellenger; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, in the Chapel of the Episcopal Academy, 1785 Bishop White Dr., Newtown Square. Interment is private.

Contributions may be made to the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, 100 Lancaster Ave., Wynnewood, Pa. 19096.