6Celebrating Leland’s 107 years of life
Leland Milton Jones was born on the 10th of August 1914, in a farm home near Queen City, Missouri, the third of four sons of Haley Catherine Hollowell Jones and Charley B. Jones. He was baptized into the Christian faith at the Christian Church in Queen City.
One of Leland’s first memories, as a four-year-old, was the ‘hat burning’ which took place in Queen City in 1918 celebrating the signing of the November 11th armistice ending World War 1.
Leland graduated from the Queen City School system in 1932, in the midst of the great depression which gripped our nation at the time. The Jones family lost the family farm during those harsh times, as did many of that era, and the family moved to another farm in an attempt to “start over.” Leland relayed the story that he was the only one in his high school graduating class who was unable to come up with the ‘six bucks’ for the high school ring he had ordered along with his classmates during his junior year. Interestingly, a friend of Leland bought his ring and sold it to him later when Leland was able to pay for it. (And he hung onto it until the end.)
Following graduation from high school, Leland left the area and jumped freight trains to travel about the country in an attempt to find work and employment, finding that work in picking peaches in Colorado, working with wheat harvest on the plains, and taking what jobs he could find. He related to his family that the only time he was ever fired from a job was while laboring with wheat harvest in northeastern South Dakota. He ‘claimed’ that the reason for the firing was that he was being flirtatious with the boss’s daughter and was told to “hit the road”.
In 1934 Leland started selling magazines door to door and continued through 1941. He commented he was “a pretty fair salesman”, as he sold subscriptions to about 80% of his contacts, enabling him to trade cars frequently. He claimed to never be without some cash.
Leland met Pauline May Jensen at a café in Atlantic, Iowa, where Pauline was employed as a waitress. They eloped on July 14, 1939, and were married in the Mount Ayr, Iowa Christian Church.
Pauline and Leland moved to Lohrville in 1941 when they purchased the OK Cafe and operated it until 1943.
They then moved to Farragut, Idaho, when Leland enlisted in the U.S. Navy for active service in World War 2. Leland served as a storekeeper onboard a 126-foot wooden YP supply ship in the Pacific arena during the later months of the war with Japan. Some may have heard him tell the story of being caught in a three-day storm in the Pacific Ocean in 1945. The fifty-foot swells encountered in that storm killed his interest in being on anything more than a small fishing boat on a calm lake in the states. During their time in Idaho twin girls, Patricia Ann and Pamela Joy were born to Leland and Pauline.
Upon discharge from the Navy in January of 1946, the Jones family again returned to Lohrville. Pauline and Leland purchased and operated a bar/restaurant there until 1948. They tired of the long evenings sold it and returned to Idaho where Leland worked at a shoe store in Pocatello, Idaho.
Again, returning to their ‘hometown’ of Lohrville, Leland and Pauline purchased the Farmer’s Produce in 1951, where he had an egg route business in which he collected eggs from 150 customers from a wide area. They ran that business until he closed it in 1985, three years following Pauline’s death from cancer.
In retirement, Leland continued to enjoy reading, golfing, fishing, and visiting with friends and neighbors as well as helping with fall harvest at the farming operation of Pat and her husband Jim on the Hill farm. He also went on many trips around the world with Pam and her family, including Africa, South America, Europe, Greece, and Australia. He often remarked that a trip to Alaska with a friend was one of his favorite experiences in traveling.
Leland lived in Lohrville until 2017 when he suffered a blood clot in his leg. Doctors had given him three to eight weeks to live, but Leland went on to live several more years in independent living in Story City, and more recently in assisted living. His advice for a long life was, “do not eat between meals”, and “if you must eat candy, do not devour it quickly.”
Leland will be remembered for his long full life, his sense of humor (one could never tell what he was going to say), his love of traveling, and his love for his family, friends, and country.
Leland was preceded in death by his wife Pauline, his parents, Charley and Haley, brothers John, Birney, and Perley, and a grandson, Aaron.
He is survived by daughter Pamela (Robert) George and three granddaughters, Kristen George, Lindsay (Scott) Murphy, and Whitney George, daughter Patricia (James) Hill and grandsons Ryan Hill (Elizabeth), and Adam Hill (Erin), and great-grandchildren, Karlie, Hayden, Colton, Preston, Brandon, Desmond, and Parker Hill, and Siobhan Murphy, and many special nieces, nephews, and friends.
Leland survived two world pandemics, the one referred to as The Spanish Influenza, and the recent Covid outbreak. Records indicate that there are only about 14,000 people in the world that are age 107 and older, a rather select group of folks!
May God bless the memory of Leland (Jonesy) Jones.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that anyone wishing to give a memorial consider Visions (Lohrville town betterment) or God Squad (Lohrville Methodist Church Youth Group.)
