Ranger Exes Memorial - RHS Class of 1944

Leland Jones JUNIE "LELAND" JONES, 88, passed away Nov. 10, 2013, in Midland, TX. Burial was with Military Honors at Fairview Cemetery. Leland was born April 12, 1925, to Junie Layfette Jones & Cora Lee Whitaker in Rotan, TX. Leland was raised with his siblings in Ranger, TX, where he graduated from high school in the Class of 1944. As a young man he worked in his family's cafe in Ranger, before and after his tour of duty with the U.S. Navy. He served his country honorably during WWII on the Neshanic naval ship in the Pacific Ocean. In 1947, Leland then began a 39 year long career with Southwestern Bell; his first post with the phone company was in Marfa, TX, where he met his bride of 59 years, Frances Elloise Wheeless. They spent their early years of marriage in Marfa, until Leland was transferred to Midland in 1956, where they have remained together ever since. Leland had a kind & gentle heart and loved spending his days with Frances & working his various hobbies. Leland enjoyed working with his hands and never shied away from doing the job right, even if it meant more time and labor. He worked tirelessly on their beautiful home in Midland and their beloved retreat, the cabin in Cloud Croft, NM. Leland was a talented, self-trained, craftsman and he could build anything and took great pride in completing the project right, whether it was the cabin, a fence, cabinets, iron work, painting or even main- taining their cars. Leland was also sure to keep a beautiful yard, which he always enjoyed spending time in with Frances and their dogs or cat. Leland & Frances loved to travel together, which in the early years of marriage entailed road trips and camping, but as the years past, they expanded their travel to most of the United States, South America, Panama Canal, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, and China, Mexico, and even got to fly on the Concord plane to France. Leland was an outstanding traveling companion, he was always ready to go, and adjusted plans along the way to make the trip most pleasant. Besides travel, his wood working and construction hobbies, he enjoyed raising dogs with Frances. At the time of his death, Leland was survived by his beloved wife, Frances; niece, Suzann Haechten and husband, Allen of Midland and nephew, Clayton Hutchinson and wife, Levi, of Salt Lake City. His sisters were Beatrice Jones Boyd (RHS-1940) and Jewel Maxine Jones (RHS-1944).