Obituary of Royce Keith Jones

Royce Keith Jones June 17, 1918 - March 17, 2011 Royce K. Jones of La Porte, Texas, passed away March 17, 2011. Memorial Services will be at 1 p.m. Monday, March 21 at Paul U. Lee Funeral Home in La Porte. Burial will be later this spring in the Higgins, Texas cemetery. Royce was born June 17, 1918, in Texline, Texas, to Samuel Fletcher and Grace Jane Stoker Jones. After numerous moves, the family settled in Higgins, Texas. Royce graduated from Higgins High School in 1934 and West Texas State College in 1939 with a Bachelor of Busines Administration. He worked as an accountant, business owner, and insurance agent until his retirement. Royce married his sweetheart of several years, Veda Mae Peterson, on April 18, 1940, and their daughter, Christy, was born in 1954. He served in the Army Air Force during World War II, stationed in India and China as a B29 Navigator/Bombadier and was also re-called to service during the Korean conflict. He reached the rank of First Lieutenant and received 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 5 Air medals during his Army Air Force career. Royce and his wife, Veda Mae, resided in Amarillo, Tucson (Arizona), Higgins, Canadian, and Pampa, before moving to La Porte. Royce had many hobbies such as golf and big band and western swing music and enjoyed sharing these with his friends and family. He loved spending time in the mountains of New Mexico and southern Colorado. Together with his wife, Veda Mae, he took special pride in his granddaughters. He was always willing to help anyone in need and had several special pet dogs throughout his life. Royce was a loving caregiver to his wife of 57 years, Veda Mae, who preceded him in death in 1997. In 1999, he married Ora Nell "Mickey" Schulenberg and also cared for her. He was a member of the Christian Church. Survivors include wife Mickey, daughter Christy Drake of La Porte, granddaughters Patricia and Courtney Drake of Houston, brother Joe Bill Jones of Phoenix, Arizona, and many other family members and friends.