Garland Elmo Jones was born March 21, 1931, west of Hollis on the Ross Bennett Farm to Elmo Scott Jones and Tina Fay (Phillips) Jones. Garland passed away on January 11, 2023 in Hollis, Oklahoma. He was a faithful member of the First Baptist Church of Hollis.
Garland attended Gould School where he graduated in 1949. While in high school during his last years, he drove a school bus which would be unheard of now. After high school he attended and graduated from Oklahoma A&M in 1954 (now known as Oklahoma State University).
In 1953, Garland fell in love and married Alma Dene Jones on September 6th. Garland admitted that he would have graduated the semester before, but deliberately had been short three credit hours to graduate so that his bride and he could have a semester together before being drafted. They made their first home in Stillwater, Oklahoma while Garland finished college. He answered the draft call in February of 1954, attending basic training at Ft. Bliss, Texas. Garland was then chosen to go into the Counterintelligence Corps in Baltimore, Mayland. After Maryland, Garland and Dene were stationed in Munich, Germany for 13 months where they traveled through some of Europe. Soon after serving in the reserves before being honorably discharged, they returned for a year to live a mile from their current home and farm. Their son Alan Garland was born in 956. In 1957 they moved to Quanah, Texas for a math teaching position for Garland. During that period, their son Alan contracted German measles before the vaccine was available. In 1959 their son Keevin Mac arrived, and their daughter Jana Dene was born in 1963. In 1965, Garland became a high school principal and completed his Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. He was an active member of Rotary Club in Quanah. Garland was also an avid fisherman and hunter.
After living in Quanah for 18 years, Garland and Dene returned to Harmon County to live on the farm in 1974. Garland was farming cotton and wheat, and raising cattle. During that time he was recognized for his conservation efforts, won the cotton challenge award, and was a stockholder in the Motley Gin. In 1990, he returned to teaching math at Quanah High School for six years. Prior to Gould School closing in 1990, Garland served as a school board member. He kept Hollis data for the National Weather Service for over 20 years and at one point taught safety driving courses called 55 Alive. In his later years, he enjoyed playing dominoes with his buddies and visiting the people at the Motley Gin and Dixon-Kirchoff’s. Garland was a lifelong Cowboy fan, whether it be Oklahoma State or Dallas Cowboys. Even in the nursing home, just four days before his passing he was watching Dallas and worried about the score.
Garland was raised in the Harmony Baptist Church in Harmon County where he accepted Christ as his savior at a revival meeting. Because Harmony was without a baptistry Garland and his sister Maurice were baptized at the same time in the Hollis First Baptist Church. During the time he lived in Quanah, he was ordained and served as a deacon at the First Baptist Church of Quanah. He has faithfully served in the First Baptist Church of Hollis since 1974. He always wanted to share his faith with others and his favorite way to share was handing out “million dollar” bills with the message of salvation.
Survivors include his children: son, Keevin Jones (Tammie) of Colony, OK; and daughter, Jana Williams (Kendall) of Hollis, OK. His grandchildren: Alan Jones (Kara) of Weatherford, OK; Kenton Williams (Kelsey) of Midwest City, OK; and McKenzie Atteberry (Jeremy) of Altus, OK. Great grandchildren: Micah Jones, Melyssa Jones, Megyn Jones, Axel Atteberry, Kenna Williams, and Anslee Atteberry. Step great grandchildren: Dylan Crow and Kylie Robbins. Sister, Maurice Searcey (Bill) of Gould, OK; numerous nieces, nephews and friends who Garland loved and cherished.
Preceded in death by his wife of almost 69 years Alma Dene Jones son, Alan Garland Jones; parents, Elmo and Fay Jones; In-laws, Doyle and Willie Jones; sister-in-law, Ada Lou Miranda (Odell), brother-in-law, Robert Doyle Jones (Winona), sister-in-law, Peggy Jones; step sister-in-law, Billie Testerman (Joe), and step brother-in-law, Sonny Gee (Joella).
We would also like to thank the staff, EMT’s, nurses and doctors of Colonial Manor II, Harmon Memorial Hospital, Southwest Ambulance Authority, and Harmon County Home Health for all the care you have given Garland in the past few years.
Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Monday, January 16, 2023 at the First Baptist Church of Hollis with Pastor Timothy Tutten officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to First Baptist Church of Hollis, 201 East Jones; Hollis, Oklahoma 73550; Gould Building Fund; PO BOX 38; Gould, Oklahoma 73544 or a local charitable organization of your choosing.
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