Harold Jones

Funeral services for Harold Cash Jones will be 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, 2014, at the Alva Church of God with Rev. Bob Brown and Chuck Lightfoot officiating. Interment will be in the Waynoka Municipal Cemetery under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva. Harold Cash Jones was born February 17, 1927 in Roosevelt, California near Fresno in Los Angeles County to John David Jones and Mary Elizabeth Brown Jones. Harold attended the Highland School east of Waynoka in the first grade. He talked about his Dad and a neighbor, Ad Nicholson, using a wagon for parts to build a one horse cart that Harold, JD and Nell, Harold’s brother and sister, used to ride the 1 ½ miles to the school. The Teacher stayed with them, and would get up early, walk to the school and build a fire to heat the school before the students arrived at 9:00. The Jones family moved to Alva when Harold was in the third grade and attended West Side elementary school, his class named the school Washington. Harold always loved to buy, sell and trade, and said that he started while in grade school. He worked with his dad for $0.10 per hour while he was still in school. His first job at 15 years old, was working at W.W. Starr and worked there for about one year. He then began working for Cavanaugh and Shea, a big hardware store, part time and remembered recapping tires during WWII. During this time, he bought a house to repair and resell. At 16 years old, Harold went to Central National Bank and talked with Mr. Myers and got a loan for a little over $600.00 to buy the house. Harold made the repairs and sold it back to the original owner for $1350.00 while still working part time at Cavanaugh and Shea. Harold moved to Buffalo, OK to work at a 24 hour service station and lived in the Del Roy Hotel for $25.00 month and that included maid service. Byron Mason owned funeral homes in Woodward and several other towns, he asked Harold to come to work for him and drive an ambulance for $35.00 week and live in the funeral home in Woodward. Harold worked for Byron Mason until he went into the Army in 1950. Harold often talked about the fast cars he bought off the race track in Woodward and how many trips he made in the ambulance to Oklahoma City or Wichita while running near 100 miles per hour as much as possible. Harold entered the Army on September 28, 1950 and went to basic training in Fort Hood, Texas, then to Camp McCoy in Wisconsin. He often talked about hitch-hiking from Wisconsin to Alva to see his family then back to Wisconsin on a 3 day pass. Harold then went to Germany “on a small ship” that got caught in a storm and all the troops got very sea sick. Harold drove a truck hauling boats with the 143rd Engineer Float Bridge Company that assembled temporary bridges using pontoons, these M1940 bridges were designed to carry a 25 ton load. Harold spent much of his time in Germany driving officers and was able to travel over much of occupied Germany. He was honorably discharged September 6, 1952. Harold married Laura Jane Morris Achemire on November 8, 1952 in Clayton NM, where JD and Liz Jones witnessed the wedding and baby set Roy Achemire. They moved to Liberal, Kansas where he and his brother JD worked at the Liberal Army Air Field. Harold often talked about hunting rabbits on the Air Field by riding on the fenders of cars and throwing hammers at the rabbits because ammunition was too expensive. At the Army Air Field they received plane parts in large wooden crates, JD and Harold used the wood and plywood from these large wing crates to build a house for Harold and Laura. Harold and Laura both talked about the weekends when they would drive back to Waynoka or Alva. The new 1951 Chevrolet pickup did not come standard with a heater and defroster. They talked many times about a trip from liberal without a heater, keeping wrapped up in blankets and scraping frost off the inside and outside of the windows. Harold said after getting to Waynoka, he went to town and purchased and installed a heater before they returned to Liberal. Harold and Laura moved back to Alva and bought a sixty acre farm about four miles north of Alva, lived there shortly, then moved to Attica, Kansas where they owned and operated a plumbing and hardware store for about three years. During this time many of the homes and businesses were changing their heating from coal and fuel oil to natural gas. Harold installed many new natural gas heater systems and water heaters. Roy remembers helping Harold as he plumbed houses; Harold used Roy to crawl in and out under the house to get plumbing fittings because Roy was small enough to crawl in and out quickly. Harold was the Volunteer Fire Chief in Attica. Harold had his first heart attack after being bitten by a fiddle back spider, sold the business and moved back to the farm north of Alva. The original farm house had burned, so Harold bought a two story house north of Hardtner, KS and had it moved to the farm. As it was being moved, the house fell through a bridge. The house move was finally completed. Harold built a rest room in the house, because it did not have one, and plumbed the house for gas and water. Harold was always trading for something; he traded for mules, horses, sheep, goats and about anything else he wanted or needed on the farm. Harold bought several miles of abandoned phone line and recovered the wire and poles. He built a machine to spool up one mile of the phone wire from a small gas engine some belts and pulleys and a couple disk blades. He sold the wire and kept the posts to build a three bay shed. The outside of the shed was covered with steel from empty roofing tar barrels he traded for that he cut apart and flattened. During this time Harold was the Manager of Ken’s Truck Stop, where Ampride is today. Ken Price recognized Harold’s trading ability and knowledge of hunting and fishing and opened Ken’s Sport Shop on the west side of Meno Street and Oklahoma Blvd which Harold managed. During this time Harold and Laura sold the farm and moved into Alva. They built a new home on Mimosa Drive and put in an Antique Store in the basement below Anthony’s. Harold would make trips around the area buying furniture and antiques, take them back to the store, clean and make any needed repairs while Laura stayed at the store to make sales. Even after closing the Antique Store, Harold always had a location where he could bring antiques and furniture to make repairs and sell. Harold really depended on his 1976 Chevrolet pickup with the Tommy Lift, to help him load and move his purchases, in fact it was the very last thing he sold after he had lived Beadles Nursing home for several years. Anytime Harold and Laura made trips, Harold would make stops at antique stores, garage sales, etc. all along the way to buy things he could sell to pay for the trip. Sometimes the car would be so full of purchases that Laura had to hold some on her lap. Harold and Laura bought and operated the Western Motel in Alva for two years, and moved to several different houses in Alva and also lived in Waynoka. Harold was an active member and President of the Waynoka Saddle club for several years. He helped organize several of the Rattle Snake Hunts. Their last home was at the corner of Barnes and Park Streets in Alva. Whatever Harold had for sale, he would put out on the corner to let people know it was for sale. He bought several trailers and replaced the floors with the wood that had been the bleacher seats at the Alva High School gym. Harold was always concerned that his customers got a good product and were always satisfied with what they bought. Harold and Laura loved to drive the country roads in this region, they would just take off and go, no plans, no maps, just some snacks, water and a full gas tank. It was common for them to go to Kiowa for ice cream, go drive around the Salt Plains Lake, or just through the ranch country in the Alva, Medicine Lodge, Coldwater and Freedom area. They enjoyed camping, and fishing. Harold would clean every fish that the grandchildren and great grandchildren caught so they could eat their catch. They loved attending all the ball games, stock shows, plays and musicals their grandchildren and great- grandchildren were in. Harold was always very pleased that so many friends would come visit him, even after he was in the nursing home for so long and continued to keep a few items to trade and sell when he could not leave the nursing home. Harold was a good example for many young people he was around, he was kind and always had a good word and a smile for all that knew him and traded with him. Harold was proceeded in death by his infant twin brother, Howard; Mother, Mary Jones; Father J.D. Jones; his sister Nell Devereaux; brother J.D. Jones; and wife, Laura Jane Jones. He is survived by his children: son, Roy Achemire and wife, Judy, of Okmulgee, OK and daughter, Brenda Nusser and husband, Dale, of Alva Oklahoma; grandchildren: Brenda and Dale’s children, Shannon Nusser and wife, Heather, of Alva, OK, Shelley Reidy and husband, Marcus, of Edmond, OK; great grandchildren: Shannon and Heather Nusser’s children, Dakota and Payden, and Shelley and Marcus Reidy’s children, Erin, Addy and Evan; grandchildren, Roy Achemire and Judy’s children, Matthew Achemire and wife, Elizabeth, John Achemire, Joni Sickels and husband, Butch, James Jones and wife, Stephanie, Jill Power and her husband, John; great grandchildren, Matthew and Elizabeth Achemire’s children, Calista, Alex, and Annessa, Joni and Butch Sickels’ children, Tyler and Jake, James and Stephanie Jones’ child, Jayden, and Jill and John Power’s children, Aaron, Adam and Avery; a special nephew, Jackie Cunningham, brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws, many more nephews and nieces and their children and grandchildren, other relatives and friends.

Harold Jones

February 17, 1927 - March 8, 2014