Wilburn Dewain Jones was my grandpa's slightly younger brother. Grandpa never discussed his family or WWII. I didn't realize grandpa had living family 'til 1979 when he died & they showed up at his funeral. It was up to my mom to fill me in & this is what she told me or I've since figured out.
Grandpa was born in Ola, Yell, Arkansas. I'm assuming Wilburn was too. After Wilburn's birth their parents, James Bryant Jones & Zula Etoe Neal Jones Wells, moved to OK where they had the rest of their kids. Acc'd to one of the census' they lived in Dawson, OK but Dawson is simply North Tulsa now.
My grandma was born in Dawson, OK. She was school friends with great uncle Wilburn first. If I remember right my mom said they played in the church band together. Or maybe he played & she sang? I never realized she could do either one. Eventually she met great uncle Wilburn's big brother James Francis Jones, fell in love, married & they had 3 of their 9 kids when both grandpa & his brother Wilburn went off to fight in WWII.
My mom was 3 years old at the time yet she still remembered having nightmares of grandpa being killed & waking up screaming. But eventually grandpa came home. His brother Wilburn did not.
Wilburn was KIA in 1945. His dad/my great grandpa died in 1950. Then my grandpa quit speaking to his mom & the rest of his sibs. He didn't speak to them. He didn't speak about them. So again I didn't know they existed 'til they showed up at his funeral. I've since met & spoken with my great aunt Dolores. She's likely where I got the name of Wilburn's son...Johnny Dewain Jones.
We didn't know he'd gotten married much less had a child. I also didn't know his remains were found & buried in another country. So it was a bit of a shock to find this memorial here @ Find A Grave. I'm grateful to the contributor who added it. And I'm grateful for them transferring it to me so I could add this bio.
Death Notice:
Pfc. Wilburn D. Jones, 22, met death February 9 on Luzon Island, his parents, Mr. & Mrs. James B. Jones, Tulsa, have been notified. His wife and two-year-old son live in Avant.
Grandpa was born in Ola, Yell, Arkansas. I'm assuming Wilburn was too. After Wilburn's birth their parents, James Bryant Jones & Zula Etoe Neal Jones Wells, moved to OK where they had the rest of their kids. Acc'd to one of the census' they lived in Dawson, OK but Dawson is simply North Tulsa now.
My grandma was born in Dawson, OK. She was school friends with great uncle Wilburn first. If I remember right my mom said they played in the church band together. Or maybe he played & she sang? I never realized she could do either one. Eventually she met great uncle Wilburn's big brother James Francis Jones, fell in love, married & they had 3 of their 9 kids when both grandpa & his brother Wilburn went off to fight in WWII.
My mom was 3 years old at the time yet she still remembered having nightmares of grandpa being killed & waking up screaming. But eventually grandpa came home. His brother Wilburn did not.
Wilburn was KIA in 1945. His dad/my great grandpa died in 1950. Then my grandpa quit speaking to his mom & the rest of his sibs. He didn't speak to them. He didn't speak about them. So again I didn't know they existed 'til they showed up at his funeral. I've since met & spoken with my great aunt Dolores. She's likely where I got the name of Wilburn's son...Johnny Dewain Jones.
We didn't know he'd gotten married much less had a child. I also didn't know his remains were found & buried in another country. So it was a bit of a shock to find this memorial here @ Find A Grave. I'm grateful to the contributor who added it. And I'm grateful for them transferring it to me so I could add this bio.
Death Notice:
Pfc. Wilburn D. Jones, 22, met death February 9 on Luzon Island, his parents, Mr. & Mrs. James B. Jones, Tulsa, have been notified. His wife and two-year-old son live in Avant.
Wilburn Dewain Jones was my grandpa's slightly younger brother. Grandpa never discussed his family or WWII. I didn't realize grandpa had living family 'til 1979 when he died & they showed up at his funeral. It was up to my mom to fill me in & this is what she told me or I've since figured out.
Grandpa was born in Ola, Yell, Arkansas. I'm assuming Wilburn was too. After Wilburn's birth their parents, James Bryant Jones & Zula Etoe Neal Jones Wells, moved to OK where they had the rest of their kids. Acc'd to one of the census' they lived in Dawson, OK but Dawson is simply North Tulsa now.
My grandma was born in Dawson, OK. She was school friends with great uncle Wilburn first. If I remember right my mom said they played in the church band together. Or maybe he played & she sang? I never realized she could do either one. Eventually she met great uncle Wilburn's big brother James Francis Jones, fell in love, married & they had 3 of their 9 kids when both grandpa & his brother Wilburn went off to fight in WWII.
My mom was 3 years old at the time yet she still remembered having nightmares of grandpa being killed & waking up screaming. But eventually grandpa came home. His brother Wilburn did not.
Wilburn was KIA in 1945. His dad/my great grandpa died in 1950. Then my grandpa quit speaking to his mom & the rest of his sibs. He didn't speak to them. He didn't speak about them. So again I didn't know they existed 'til they showed up at his funeral. I've since met & spoken with my great aunt Dolores. She's likely where I got the name of Wilburn's son...Johnny Dewain Jones.
We didn't know he'd gotten married much less had a child. I also didn't know his remains were found & buried in another country. So it was a bit of a shock to find this memorial here @ Find A Grave. I'm grateful to the contributor who added it. And I'm grateful for them transferring it to me so I could add this bio.
Death Notice:
Pfc. Wilburn D. Jones, 22, met death February 9 on Luzon Island, his parents, Mr. & Mrs. James B. Jones, Tulsa, have been notified. His wife and two-year-old son live in Avant.
Grandpa was born in Ola, Yell, Arkansas. I'm assuming Wilburn was too. After Wilburn's birth their parents, James Bryant Jones & Zula Etoe Neal Jones Wells, moved to OK where they had the rest of their kids. Acc'd to one of the census' they lived in Dawson, OK but Dawson is simply North Tulsa now.
My grandma was born in Dawson, OK. She was school friends with great uncle Wilburn first. If I remember right my mom said they played in the church band together. Or maybe he played & she sang? I never realized she could do either one. Eventually she met great uncle Wilburn's big brother James Francis Jones, fell in love, married & they had 3 of their 9 kids when both grandpa & his brother Wilburn went off to fight in WWII.
My mom was 3 years old at the time yet she still remembered having nightmares of grandpa being killed & waking up screaming. But eventually grandpa came home. His brother Wilburn did not.
Wilburn was KIA in 1945. His dad/my great grandpa died in 1950. Then my grandpa quit speaking to his mom & the rest of his sibs. He didn't speak to them. He didn't speak about them. So again I didn't know they existed 'til they showed up at his funeral. I've since met & spoken with my great aunt Dolores. She's likely where I got the name of Wilburn's son...Johnny Dewain Jones.
We didn't know he'd gotten married much less had a child. I also didn't know his remains were found & buried in another country. So it was a bit of a shock to find this memorial here @ Find A Grave. I'm grateful to the contributor who added it. And I'm grateful for them transferring it to me so I could add this bio.
Death Notice:
Pfc. Wilburn D. Jones, 22, met death February 9 on Luzon Island, his parents, Mr. & Mrs. James B. Jones, Tulsa, have been notified. His wife and two-year-old son live in Avant.
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