Rowena Mae Jones

The memorial service for Rowena Mae Jones, age 93, of Norman will be held on September 14, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church with Rev. David Spain officiating. Burial will precede the service at the Norman I00F Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. If you desire, the family would appreciate you sharing your comments or memories on the website at www.primrosefuneralservice.com. In lieu of flowers, Rowena requested that memorials be made on her behalf to the First Christian Church, 220 S. Webster, Norman, OK 73069.

Rowena was born on January 28, 1926 in Caldwell, KS to Lloyd W. and Nanetah J. (Massey) Oerke. She had four brothers and one sister (George, Edward, Kenneth, Marvin, and Gladys). She lived in Caldwell until her graduation from high school in 1943. During high school, she mastered the obo and won major competitions. She later graduated from the Western Union Telegraphy School in Springfield, MO. She was employed by Western Union at Hutchinson, KS during WWII. Rowena also worked for Western Union prior to her marriage in Kingsville and Robstown, TX and Norman, OK. From 1973 to 1977, she founded and was employed as the Director of the Youth Employment Service in Norman.

At age 18 and while working for Western Union, she met her future husband, Wilford H. Jones, who was stationed there for Naval training. They became acquainted when he made numerous trips to the Western Union office to send funds to his Mother. They were married in Cedar Vale, KS on January 6, 1946 and honeymooned in Monterrey, Mexico. They were married for 44 years until her husband’s passing. Their first home was in Corpus Christi, TX until 1959 when they moved to Norman, OK. She spent the rest of her life as a homemaker in the family’s current home and established deep roots in her neighborhood, community and church.

She was a member of the Methodist Church as a child and after marriage, was a member of the Disciples of Christ. Since 1959, she and Wilford were active in the First Christian Church in Norman where she served as Elder, Chairperson for Evangelism and Membership Committees, President and various offices in the Christian Women’s Fellowship and member of the Care Ministry. Through the Care Ministry since 1994, she played the piano weekly for the elderly residents at the Manor Care Nursing Home.

Her other interests included annual family reunions and playing games with family, OU football, Thunder basketball, live music and drama productions, sewing, and traveling around the world. She participated in various Elderhostels and frequently traveled overseas finding pleasure in traveling with siblings to visit relatives in Germany and Spain. She hosted over 100 U.S. citizens for Evergreen Bed & Breakfast Club in her home and enjoyed participation in Friendship Force where she hosted internationals from Australia, Japan, Brazil, Germany, and Turkey. She was a guest of Friendship Force in Mexico, Brazil, and Denmark. After her husband’s passing, at age 63 she met Dr. Rhonald Whiteneck through Friendship Force and shared ten exciting years of OU games, dancing and traveling.

Rowena’s lineage includes 3 children, 10 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren. Preceding her death were her parents, Lloyd and Nanetah, husband Wilford, brothers Edward and George, and sister Gladys. Survivors include her children; daughter Patricia McLaughlin of Norman, OK, son and daughter-in-law Michael and Twila Jones of Rolla, MO, son and daughter-in-law Stephen and Linda Jones of Tulsa, OK, her grandchildren; Craig Traylor and wife Estella, Julie Drexler and husband Carl, Brian Jones and wife Leah, Kevin Jones and wife Danielle, John McLaughlin, Michelle Jones, Karen Jones, David Jones and wife Megan, Scott Jones, and Christine Jones, and her great grandchildren; Brinlee Jones, Aidan Jones, Craig Traylor, Vivian Traylor, Dodge Drexler, Carissa Jones, Hallie Jones, and Levi Jones.

She was deeply respected and honored by everyone she met. She was determined to accept and adjust to the disappointments of life with the help of the Lord. It was commonly said, “Rowena is a sweet lady.”