Mr. Patrick Henry Jones

“I was just a poor kid that was born on an old sand hill farm in northwest Oklahoma, but hopefully retained some semblance of pride of family and values that were predominant in lots of rural families.” Despite explaining that his life was “not extraordinary in any manner,” he leaves an extraordinary impact on those he knew and loved!

Patrick Henry Jones was born on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1930 in a 3-room farmhouse, 3 miles north of Chester, near the Oklahoma panhandle, to Elza E. Jones and Anna Holub Jones, a farmer/rancher and a teacher. Patrick and his older brother walked or road a horse to a one-room, no electricity school that taught 8 grades. He later claimed to benefit from this system because he would listen to the higher grades and did rather well. From 7th grade through high school, “Pat” (as he was known most of his life, though lately preferred “Patrick”) attended school in Seiling, another 5 miles to the south. His family moved an existing house to their property when he was in high school, at which time they finally got electricity and he could finally discontinue the dreaded wood-chopping. Patrick learned to play his mother’s piano which is still family owned. He played trumpet and other instruments in the school band from 7th grade through high school. Patrick played high school football as a “big hulking 160 pound tackle” (his words) when Seiling formed a team his junior year and also played basketball. Always shy and unassuming, he claimed he was not very good in sports, but had fun. An early band trip to Oklahoma University is what inspired him to seek higher learning there after his 1947 graduation in a class of 40. Like his parents, Patrick loved to dance. He played several musical instruments in a country dance band during high school and college. Having no car until his junior year at OU, he hitch-hiked back and forth to Norman for 2 years. Patraick graduated from OU’s pharmacy school in 1951. He moved to Commerce, Texas, to be able to fish with an old school friend who lived nearby. Patrick worked at a pharmacy and met Marie Talley.

With no openings for a direct commission into the military despite his ROTC, Patrick was drafted into the Marines during the Korean conflict in 1952 and sent to San Diego, California. Because of a silly cowboy anecdote he told his fellow draftees during the train trip from Oklahoma City, he was nicknamed “Hoppy,” a moniker he carried his entire time in the service. Patrick married Marie later that year, retuning to a cheap Oakland, California apartment (ice box -- no refrigerator) for his electronics training. After assignment to Camp Pendleton, they moved to a basement apartment where he constantly hit his 6’2” head on the overhead sewer pipes. He left the Marines after his two-year requirement and was never deployed. Patrick accepted a pharmacist position in New Boston, a tiny northeast Texas town. His twin girls, Patti and Debra, were born in 1954 to a community fascinated by such an unusual occurrence. In order to politely answer the nagging question if the two blondes were twins, the girls learned patience from their parents at an early age. (They would not meet another set of twins until 8th grade, where there were 11 sets at their Arlington school alone!) Patrick served on the New Boston school board, including as its President, and was active in the church choir. In 1968 the family moved to Grand Prairie, Texas, partly to widen the twins’ educational possibilities from what was available in New Boston. Patrick lived in that house for 50 years, working mostly in Dallas. The couple divorced in 1972 and remained friendly until her death in 2018.

Patrick married Betty Sykes (who also loved to dance!) in 1985 and was thrilled to add her son and two daughters and their families to his own. They often hosted highly contested family backyard volleyball and croquet tournaments. He was proud his golf career including the “trifecta:” a witnessed hole-in-one, shooting his age and playing the historical Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland with his stepson-in-law, George White. George was like a true son to Patrick before ALS took him from the family far too early. After his retirement in 1997, Patrick kept busy with yard work, woodworking and playing golf. The couple also enjoyed dancing and world travel. Betty died in 2015. He continued an active life with family, dear friends, neighbors and fellow golfers until his health began its rapid decline in 2018.

Patrick is survived by his twin daughters, Patti Irwin and her husband Chuck of Southlake, TX and Debra Cannon and her husband Ray of Terrell, TX. Thanks to his happy 30 years with Betty, his survivors also include Dan Sykes and his wife Kathi Lentzsch of Seattle, WA, Kathleen Joiner and her husband Jay of Boerne, TX and Elise White and her husband Steve Barnett of The Woodlands, TX. Patrick is also survived by 5 grandchildren, Jennifer Payne and her husband Daniel of Austin, TX, Colin Cannon and his wife Meredith of Centennial, CO, David Irwin of Centennial, CO, Meredith Lee and her husband Chris of Bedford, TX and Jordan White of Littleton, CO. He also has 5 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Elza J. Jones of Albuquerque, NM and stepson-in-law George White of Duncan, OK.

Patrick had a great sense of humor, a love of music, a fascination with history and a hobby of exploring phantasmagorical words in the English language (and a sneaky Scrabble player because of the Latin required in his pharmacy studies). Because Patrick was a huge supporter of education and has several teachers in his family, including his mother, daughter and granddaughter, the family requests memorials to the following Education Foundations in lieu of flowers or cards:

• Grand Prairie ISD Education Foundation, where Debra Cannon taught and was Vice Principal.

• Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Education Foundation, which Patti Irwin helped form and where the Irwin's are endowed donors.

• Northwest ISD Education Foundation, where Meredith Lee taught and coached and is active in curriculum administration and her husband Chris teaches and coaches.