Vernon Jones

Vernon Richard Jones, also known by family and friends as Cowboy or Poker, age 88, of Moran, Texas, died peacefully on Sunday, December 26. A funeral service was held on Tuesday, December 28, 2010, at Parker Funeral Home in Baird, Texas. Final rites will be conducted in Hobbs, New Mexico, on Thursday, December 30 at 3:00 p.m. MST at Prairie Haven Cemetery. The body will lie in state at The Chapel of Hope Funeral Home beginning Wednesday morning.

Cowboy was born on May 16, 1922, in Santa Anna, Texas, the son of the late Oddie and Bill Jones. He was the fifth child of seven siblings. His father died at a young age in 1929, and his mother gathered her children and moved to Ft. Griffin, Texas, to be closer to other family members for support. Cowboy went to school at the Diller Common School District in Diller Flat in Shakelford County, Texas.

Because of the burden placed on his mother by the depression, Cowboy quit school after the eighth grade and started working, as did many young men of that time. For five years he worked on the ranches of the Matthews and Caldwell families in Shackelford and Throckmorton counties. He joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939, and worked for the CCC in Colorado for two years.

He married Marcella Lloyd on July 18, 1941, in Cisco, Texas. Five children were born of this marriage. Marcella preceded him in death in 2000. Also, preceding him in death is his youngest son, Spud Jones, who was killed in an accident on December 22, 2010, in Timberon, New Mexico. Funeral services for Spud will be Wednesday, December 29, at 12:30 p.m. in Timberon.

A navy veteran of WWII, Cowboy served on battleships and destroyers. He was in six major battles in the South Pacific, including Pelelliu, Tarawa, the Soloman Island Campaign, Okinawa, Leyte Gulf and IwoJima. He served on the Tennessee during the battle of the Leyte Gulf and was one of her few survivors following a hit during a Janpanese Kamikaze attack.

After the war he returned home to ranch work. At one time or another he worked on the Swenson, Four Sixes and Pitchfork Ranches in Texas. In New Mexico he worked the Gila country for the Flying A, Diamond Bar, Diamond A, and the H Bar Y Ranches.
Jupe Means was one of Cowboys favorite persons, and his time spent on the H Bar Y was good

To better support his growing family, Cowboy left the Gila in 1951 and went to work for Shell Oil Company in Denver City, Texas. After nine years he quit Shell and started managing Clara Flowlers and Charlsea Taylors ranch in Texas and New Mexico, After managing the FowlerTaylor Ranch for 20 years, cowboy took full possession of the ranch and began working for himself. Cowboy lived the fulfilling and successful life of a rancher, expert horseman, and businessman in Hobbs, New Mexico, and following the death of his wife, in the small town of Moran, Texas. He began team roping competitively after age 50, and was inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1983. Cowboy was a Christian and was an avid student of the Bible. He was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ.

Survivors include his children, Linda Jones, Albany, Texas Tom and Kress Jones, Hobbs, New Mexico Cindy Snyder, Moran, Texas one brother, Punk Jones, Mentone, Texas twentytwo grandchildren, 26 greatgrandchildren, two greatgreatgrandsons numerous nieces, nephews, and many friends.

In addition to his wife, Marcella, and son Spud, he was preceded by four brothers and his only sister, Callie Newcomb.

Visitation

Chapel of Hope
3321 N. Dal Paso
Hobbs, NM  88240
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
8 a.m. 6 p.m. Wednesday

Service

Graveside

Prairie Haven Cemetery
2201 E. Stanolind
Hobbs, NM  88240
Thursday, December 30, 2010
3 p.m. Thursday

Cemetery

Prairie Haven Memorial Park
2201 E. Stanolind
Hobbs, NM  88240