Bobby "Bob" Joe Jones

Bobby Joe (Bob) Jones went to be with his LORD and Savior, Wednesday, April 13, after 96 years of loving his God, his family and his church. Bob was born, January 6, 1926, on a Deep Fork River farm near Chandler, to Raymond and Velma (Bonnie) Walker Jones. He died at home on his farm between Prague and Shawnee. Bob attended elementary school at Forrest, south of Chandler. Because he was a good student, his teacher suggested that after he finished the sixth grade, he skip the seventh and eighth grades and enroll as a freshman at Chandler High School, which he did. He was a 12 year old ninth grader but still made his high school honor roll. He turned 16 in 1942, one month after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, graduating High School that Spring. At 16, he drove to the Navy Recruiting Office in Shawnee, but was not allowed to enlist because of his age. In 1946, Bob moved to the Garden Grove community south of Prague, where he farmed. He attended community activities at Garden Grove School and church at Garden Grove Missionary Baptist Church, where he met his future bride, Joy Bland. Bob trusted Jesus as his Savior in 1947 and was baptized by Garden Grove Church in 1947. Bob and Joy were married in June, 1948. Joy was the daughter of E. W. and Boneta (Dawkins) Bland. They enjoyed almost 62 years of happy marriage before her death in 2010. During those early years, Bob led the singing at Garden Grove and sang in a quartet with Von Satterfield, Lavon Coomer and Claude Gwin, with Betty Denny playing the piano. He remembered traveling to Seminole, where they sang on a radio program with the pastor at Garden Grove preaching. Bob farmed in the Econtucha area and worked at Tinker Field. After being laid off at Tinker, Bob worked at the Sylvania plant in Shawnee for seven years until its closing. During this time, Bob and Joy bought a home on East Remington Street in Shawnee, where they lived for eight years. With the closing of the Sylvania plant, bob went back to Tinker and worked in testing the "Hound Dog" missiles. While in Shawnee, Bob and Joy were very active in the old Liberty Missionary Baptist Church at 11th and Pesotum. Joy was active in Ladies' Auxiliary and Bob led the music. He also sang in another quartet with Claude Gwin, Gene West and Glenn Webb, whose wife, Retha played the piano. Bob never considered himself a good singer, but he loved gospel music, having studied music from a small child. Bob taught the Young Adult Sunday school class and also helped build the new church sanctuary at Liberty. In 1963, Bob bought the Encontucha store on the North Canadian River east of Shawnee, and the family moved back to the Garden Grove community. They were active in the church where Bob was a deacon, Sunday school teacher and song director. If any work needed to be done on the church, Bob was one of the first ones there. There will always be an empty spot on the second pew where Bob and Joy sat. Bob enjoyed the store business. They built up the business, selling groceries, gasoline and oil. The Econtucha store also provided supplies and lunch for the local farmers and also for construction workers who were building Interstate 40. A tragic electrical fire destroyed the store and the family home on Jan. 8, 1968, with the family escaping "with the clothes on their backs." The community and Garden Grove Church responded with great kindness to help Bob's displaced family. Bob and Joy bought part of the Wallace Dawkins farm and built a home there in 1969. He worked as a union carpenter in Oklahoma City, then in 1975 went to work for Oklahoma Baptist University where he retired in 1990. As an employee for OBU, Bob and Joy made eight trips to Glorietta, near Santa Fe, New Mexico, to make repairs on OBU's cabin and ready it for the summer. After Bob's retirement from OBU, he continued to farm and raise cattle for as long as his health allowed. After a lengthy illness, Joy went to be with the LORD on April 15, 2010. Bob and Joy had been married for almost 62 years. Bob was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Joy; a brother, Kenneth and his wife, Lavonna; a sister, Lois Wright and her husband, Carl and brother-in-law, James Garner. Bob is survived by his sister, Carol Parsons and her husband, John, of Enid, Oklahoma and his sister-in-law, Betty Garner of Prague. Bob is also survived by his son, Larry, of Prague; daughter-in-law, Patsy Jones of Prague; daughter, Kathy Tidwell of Indianapolis, Indiana; daughter, Terri Phillips and her husband, Gary, of Holdenville; grandchildren, Tim Jones, Rachel White and her husband, Chris; Dustin Tidwell, Aaron Tidwell and wife, Lindsay, Devon Tidwell, Emory Tidwell; Shane Phillips and wife, Amanda, Alisha Frederickson and husband, Michael, Chase Phillips and wife, Kyler. Bob is also survived by his great-grandchildren, Annabelle Jones, Kaylee Jones, Brent White, Littie Joy White, Emory Tidwell, Abigail Phillips, Alexandria Phillips, Aubrey Pope, Lauren Frederickson, Kessler Frederickson, Adelynn Frederickson, Olympia Phillips and another Phillips baby on the way. Bob is survived by many loving nieces and nephews and a host of other friends, neighbors and Christian brothers and sisters. Bob appreciated the care he received in his declining days from family members, neighbors, church members; Kay McGinnis, and also the nurses with Heartland Hospice: Lesa and Patti.