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.