Eddie Ford, 81, of Henderson, KY, formerly of Madisonville, passed away Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Heart to Heart Hospice in Evansville, IN. He was born December 4, 1943, in Evansville to the late Edward Ford and Helen Cates Ford. He was also preceded in death by his grandson, Ford Kjell Stuen. Eddie was a member of First Baptist Church in Henderson and a past member of First Baptist Church in Madisonville. He was a godly man with a fierce love for family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He enjoyed many things, such as basketball, banana split blizzards, lake days, cracking jokes, and his nicknames he gave to everyone. He never missed anything for his family growing up and always flagged down his grandkids to sit on his lap and brag about them. Eddie opened Eddie Ford Sports Store, operated the Wheels of Fun Skating Rink; and also worked as Director at the Kentucky Transportation Department. Eddie had a strong love for basketball. He started playing at a young age and eventually played at Murray State University. After his playing career, he went into coaching at the high school level throughout Kentucky, including Cuba High School and Webster County High School. He started the first AAU program in Kentucky, the Hoopstars basketball camp, and eventually the Hoopfest Basketball Tournament at the Louisville Fairgrounds, the largest tournament of its kind. He also coached and directed the Kentucky Junior All Stars for numerous years – traveling with them all over Europe to play. He is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Pat Ford of Henderson; daughter, Leslie (Tore) Stuen of Henderson; son, Travis (Heather) Ford of St. Louis, MO; brother, David Warren (Jerrie) Ford of Atlanta; grandchildren, Brooks Cambron Ford, Kyleigh Miles Ford, Shane Edward Ford, and Torunn Lee (Clint) Johnson; granddaughter-in-law, Courtney Stuen and great grandchildren, Stuen Lee Johnson, Chapel Kjell Johnson, Penn Ford Stuen, and Haven James Johnson. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at Barnett-Strother Funeral Home in Madisonville with Joey Davenport officiating. Burial will follow at Odd Fellows Cemetery Visitation will be from 5:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. Tuesday and from 9:00 A.M. until service time Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church 307 Center Street, Henderson KY 42420 or the Ford Stuen Family Trust at 76 S Green St, Henderson KY 42420 or https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=6VCP566JR26RA.
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