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Thursday, November 27, 1997

Father of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dies at 76

STRAFFORD, Mo. (AP) -- J.W. "Pat" Jones, the father of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, died today. He was 76.

Jones, who had suffered from heart problems for 20 years, died at his ranch outside of Springfield in southwest Missouri, said Greene County Sheriff John Pierpont, a longtime friend.

The senior Jones, known for his entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen, operated the Exotic Animal Paradise outside of Springfield.

He had begun his business life as a grocery store owner in Little Rock, Ark. and later went into the insurance business.

His business expertise was said to inspire his son.

"One thing I'll say about Pat Jones, he was a people's man," said Pierpont, who said he had known Jones for many years and that Jones had been the finance chairman of his five successful election campaigns.

In July, Jones was honored at a party for his contributions to the area and for his 50 years in business.

Jerry Jones, Cowboys coach Barry Switzer and 200 others joined in the party. The elder Jones appeared weak and did not speak during the tribute.

"I never made a serious decision without grinding it out with him first," Jerry Jones said in December 1994.

Jerry Jones had joined his father in business after he graduated from Arkansas.

The Exotic Animal Paradise, located on about 470 acres just east of Springfield, was a popular tourist attraction with its 10-mile drive where people could view llamas, ostriches, and other animals.

Jones had sold the attraction in 1994 when he nearly died at a Springfield hospital and had to be revived by a heart pump. He lived on the ranch on the border of the park.

"It has the drive through, oh it has everything you could imagine," Pierpont said. "One thing I'll remember about Pat Jones is that he saved endangered species, he would take them in and breed them."