James Earl Bowles

Services for Earl Bowles will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at Hilliard Funeral Home with a graveside service to follow at Fairway Garden of Memories Cemetery in Van, with Pastor Otis Lee officiating. Visitation will be held Wednesday evening from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
James Earl Bowles was born November 24, 1954, in Van, Texas. He had been a resident of Van Zandt County all of his life and owned Earl Bowles Plumbing - he was a skilled plumber. He enjoyed fishing, playing his guitar, going to the casino, and having a drink on the backporch.
Earl passed away at the age of 71 on January 3, 2026, in Tyler. He was preceded in death by his long-time partners, Nelda Morgan (2005) and Linda Sanders (2017); parents, Walter T. Bowles and Lillian Lorene Maxfield Bowles; brothers, Gerald Bowles, Larry Bowles, Charles Lang, Oliver Bowles, and Raymond Bowles; and sisters, Brenda Kay Tubb and Geneva Wall Clements.
Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, Randy & Brooke Bowles of Fruitvale; daughter, Melonie Williams of Fruitvale; siblings, David "Buster" Bowles of Grand Saline, and Bill Lang of Van; sister, Linda Wheeler of Grand Saline; grandsons, Cooper Bowles and Layten Dodson; and many other relatives and friends.
Pallbearers will be Cooper Bowles, Layten Dodson, Jim Lynch, Ronnie Waddell, Nick Sandifer, and David "Bud" Bowles.