Jimmy Clayton Castle

In the small town of Red Fork, Oklahoma in 1929, Jimmy Clayton came to join the Castle household, which quickly became a unit of three little girls and one little boy. It was during the depression and the Castles were comfortable enough, but there were no frills or extras to be had. Jimmy’s dad, Wardy, had a good job, but he was so careful with his money that he walked the three miles between home and work, removing his shoes as soon as he was out of sight of his home and then putting them back on as soon as he was within sight of his workplace, and vice versa.

Jimmy always claimed good times with good memories as he grew into adulthood. As a teenager he was fortunate enough to land a job with the same railroad that employed his dad. Jimmy’s title was “Call Boy,” and his responsibility was to search out and locate the individual train crew members who could not be contacted by telephone and inform them of their upcoming assignment or schedule for keeping the trains up and running safely. Most men could be found in the comfort of their home, but some were busy in less inviting places, like the neighborhood bars.

He served his time in the U.S. Navy and then later his military duty placed him in the U.S. Marine Corp. in Korea.

He had a very long and successful history with the railroad. He was promoted and transferred to Denver to be part of the sales team and later he became the sales manager with a staff of his own. Two years prior to his retirement, the company sent him to Salt Lake City to be in charge of that operation. So the family still enjoyed exploring the deserts and mountains of Utah.

Retirement was enjoyable, but the days became a little too long at times, so Jimmy accepted employment at University Hospital where he rode his bicycle to work every day, no matter the weather or how deep the snow became. Upon retirement from the hospital, Jimmy pursued his interest in painting, becoming quite a talented artist.

For thirty-four years he was married to Jonna Cannon and that union produced three wonderful sons and a beautiful daughter: John Christian, Jay Christopher, Jeffrey Clayton, and Julia Christin. They were followed by granddaughters Sarah, Christina, and Jessica. And then nine great-grandchildren joined the family. As the Castle children grew toward adulthood, the family enjoyed the out-of-doors more and more. They were avid skiers, hikers, campers, bikers – just about anything that allowed them to be in the mountains and out of doors. The family also enjoyed travel throughout North America, pulling their camper behind them.

One happy memory they still talk about is the weekly boy’s night out. Jimmy was an outstanding and devoted dad. He converted to Catholicism as an adult and he embraced the religion enthusiastically during his lifetime. He led his household to mass every Sunday.

Jimmy was a good provider and supplied his family with beautiful homes in the Washington Park and Park Hill areas. He was an excellent handyman and very creative with his ideas and talents in updating and upkeep of the homes. If it was broke, Jimmy could probably fix it.

Until the past year Jimmy enjoyed good health and a busy, active life. We count our blessings every day and thank our Lord for letting us be a part of the life of Jimmy Clayton Castle.

By Jonna C. Castle 12/12/14