Ercel O'Dene Jones

Ercel O'Dene Jones

August 31, 1933 – May 26, 2025

Ercel O'Dene Jones, age 91, longtime resident of the farm north of Foss, Oklahoma, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 26, 2025, in Weatherford, Oklahoma. She was born August 31, 1933, in Leedey, Oklahoma, to Ezra F. and Elma (Barton) Graybill. She was the youngest with five older brothers.

Ercel was raised south of Leedey and graduated from Leedey High School in 1951. After high school, she attended Hills Business College in Oklahoma City. In 1953, while working at the Dewey County Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Services office in the Taloga Courthouse, she met the love of her life, Orval Eugene Jones. The two were married on June 25, 1953.

In 1961, following Eugene’s military service, the couple made their home south of Butler, Oklahoma. Ercel lived there until going into assisted living in 2020. They farmed and ranched and had three children. Those years she often described as the happiest of her life. She was actively involved in everything.

In 1976, Ercel returned to the workforce, accepting what was intended to be a short-term position at the ASCS office in Clinton. That temporary role lasted until 1980, after which she began working for the Production Credit Association, where she remained until her retirement in 1999. Ercel once joked, “We always thought that we would slow down when we got older, but instead it was just the opposite, but we enjoyed all of it.” Both she and Eugene loved spending time with their grandchildren and their home will forever be a source of so many cherished core memories.

A devoted member of Stafford Baptist Church, Ercel was known for her kindness, strong faith, and unwavering love for her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ezra and Elma Graybill; her five brothers and their spouses, her husband, Eugene Jones; and her eldest son, Mike Jones.

She is survived by her son, Pat Jones, and his wife, Christina, of Clinton; her daughter, Marcy Bailey, and her husband, David, of Hydro, Oklahoma; 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Evergreen Cemetery in Leedey, Oklahoma. Richard Oaks will officiate under the direction of Lee Hometown Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to Weatherford Regional Hospital Foundation or WRHF scholarship at PO Box 1903 Weatherford, Oklahoma 73096