A special thanks to Carroll J. Jones, Sr. for providing this information. If you have any comments or have an interest in this family, please contact him.
Delbert Eugene JONES was born January 17, 1910, in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska and died January 11, 1980 in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. He was the fifth son of Charles Clinton JONES, a baker, and Carrie Belle NOVELL. Charles and Carrie owned and operated the Jones Bakery and Confectionary at 2607 twelfth Street in Columbus.When he was in the fourth grade at Third Ward School, he met Opal Lorena CROWE. She was born February 6, 1911 in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska and died August 14, 2001 in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico. She was the eldest daughter of Ray Lester CROWE, a railroader, and Rosetta WISEMAN. From the time of their meeting he knew no other girl. Almost every day he would meet her in Frankfurt Square, a park in the center of town, and walk with her the rest of the way to school. He also made it a practice to meet her in the hallway and strike up a conversation.
Delbert and Opal graduated from Kramer High School in Columbus in the Spring of 1928. Theirs was the third class to graduate from the new high school with a class of 64. After high school graduation they went their separate ways. Delbert's father had died in 1924 and he was needed to help in the family bakery and confectionary. Opal went to Kansas City, Missouri to stay with her Aunt Dora Smith, her father's sister. During that year she worked in a dental college as a secretary. After a year in Kansas City she returned home.
One night Opal was sitting on the porch with her parents when a young man all dressed-up in a suit, tie and a white shirt came up the sidewalk. It was Delbert. Since he knew her parents, the first thing that crossed Opal's mind was that he came to see her dad about something. That was true as he asked her father if he could take her to the movies. (It was the custom in those days for a young man to ask the father if he could date his daughter) From that time on he was a frequent visitor at the CROWE house. He still helped his mother with the store and ran the horse-drawn ice cream wagon. He could not come courting until late in the evening, as he had to take care of the horse, Dan, when he finished his route. That was when he developed a dislike for horses and Opal's mother developed a dislike for Delbert, as he came too late in the evening. That did not, however, discourage him as he kept seeing her for a year and one-half, then they decided to get married.
On the evening of September 13, 1930 Delbert borrowed his brother Martin's model T Ford without permission. They drove to Schuyler, Nebraska and got married. Martin was shaving and dressing to go on a big date while Delbert was taking his car. When Martin realized too late what was happening there was a great deal of hell-raising. Young brother, Carroll, exercising the better part of valor, ran and hid.
This was the year of the great depression following the stock market crash of 1929. Delbert and Opal could barely earn enough to eat and pay the rent. Delbert worked for $1.00 a day cutting wood and Opal worked as a waitress in Vic Scott's cafe for ten dollars a week. The couple lived in Columbus for about one year after they were married.
One evening, after dinner, while they were discussing the future, Opal asked Delbert, "what did you want to do with your life before we got married?"
Delbert replied, "I always wanted to teach school and coach." Opal asked, "Then why don't you do it?"
The two of them decided then and there that Delbert would go on to school come what may. Fortunately they met a coach from Midland College, Fremont, Nebraska. He was recruiting men for his football team. Since Delbert had a good record of playing football for four years in high school, he was wanted on the team at Midland College. The coach promised both part-time jobs at the college.
The year was 1931 and jobs were still very scarce. At the time Delbert was working on road construction, so it was a big decision to give up a job and go to school. But they decided to take a chance. In September they went to Midland College at Fremont, Nebraska taking with them a small savings of $500 and a lot of confidence in the future.
Delbert obtained two part-time jobs, one as a janitor in the building where they had a one-room apartment, and another part-time job on a road construction crew. He was very busy with the jobs and school work. Opal was also lucky to get a job typing letters for the college president, Dr. Martin. She also typed for a few of the professors. The school gave her a part-time job in the college dining room which earned board for both of them. They got along usually well for the first year of school.
During the second year in school there was an unexpected blessing, a baby girl. She was born April 17, 1933, the day after Easter. (Mother, Carrie B. JONES, went to Fremont to care for Opal) They often wondered how they were going to stay in school and support a baby. However, they survived because the president and staff at Midland were very good to them.
The Summer after the birth of the eldest child they raised a large garden. The college allowed them to plant a garden on some lots which they were not using. The garden plot was about six blocks from the college. Lacking a car they had to figure out a way to get seeds and plants out to the garden spot. Fortunately someone at the college had a baby buggy they were not using which they allowed them to use. They would put the little baby in the buggy and the tomato plants across the foot of the buggy and walk out to plant the garden. They planted tomatoes, corn, beans, peas, beets, potatoes and string beans.
Delbert continued to work two part-time jobs while attending school. Therefore, the garden plot did not get much attention allowing the weeds to grow and grow, but so did the vegetables. The weeds apparently shaded the vegetables from the hot sun. The man who had the garden next to theirs kept his garden free of weeds, but it did not do as well as the Jones garden. He never could figure out why the Joneses had such a bumper crop with so many weeds.
Opal canned all the vegetables harvested. They dug a hole outside the apartment several feet deep and lined it with straw, put the potatoes in and covered it over with boards creating a great potato cellar safe from the very cold weather in those Nebraska winters.
Delbert went to school in the summers enabling him to graduate in three years and two summers. He kept his janitorial job at the school in exchange for his tuition while Opal supplemented their meager income with dictation and typing for the president and faculty of the college. They were expecting another child causing Opal embarrassment to be typing around other people, so the college president, Dr. Martin, would dictate his letters to her at night. She had a portable typewriter allowing her to type the letters in the apartment and deliver them the next day. She also worked six months in the dining hall, but after that they lived on the produce from the garden. Delbert's sister-in-law, Viola JONES, gave Opal some bread starter to be used instead of yeast to make bread. Making bread helped on the food budget. Between the garden produce she canned and part-time jobs they managed to get through the long cold Nebraska winter.
Delbert and Opal celebrated two events in 1934: The birth of their second child, a little girl, on May 12 and Delbert's graduation from college at the end of the month. Poverty prevented the purchase of a graduation suit for Delbert so Mrs. Martin, the wife of the college president, made over one of his suits and Delbert graduated in style. They were most grateful for all the help of the president and his wife. Just before Delbert graduated Mr. Martin said, he had never seen anyone graduate from college on such slim finances as they did. Delbert's mother, Carrie, and younger brother, Carroll, attended the graduation ceremony. None of the Crowe family attended. Justifiably Delbert and Opal felt a real sense of accomplishment.
Finding a job of any sort in 1934 was difficult. Having no car Delbert hitchhiked around the state interviewing for a teaching position. He was offered two positions. Of course he took the highest paying one. It was a coaching job at Maywood, Nebraska, population 200, which paid $110 per month. Because he had a contract to teach, they were able to buy a second-hand Ford car enabling them get to his first job. Just before school was to start, they loaded up their meager possessions and the two precious girls and headed for Maywood. This small town was in the Western part of the state, but it looked like the best place in the world because they finally had a monthly income.
They rented a house, but didn't have any furniture. They bought the bare necessities. In the living room there were orange crates and wooden boxes for tables. There were also orange crates in the bedroom.
Delbert and Opal lived one year at Maywood, Nebraska and then he obtained a better job as superintendent of schools at a small western Nebraska town by the name of Max. The population was about 300 people. They lived right across the street from the school. There was a nice tennis court at the school allowing them to play tennis on weekends while the girls played around the school yard. The music teacher was Woodrow McKee. He was unmarried at the time. He would go visit all the faculty each night and they shared their dinner with him. He would always be at the Jones house for dessert. Of course, they enjoyed the company and the nightly visit with him. Most of the social activities were centered around the church and the school providing something to do besides work.
From Max, Nebraska they went to a rural school near Sterling, Colorado living in a big farm house. Delbert rode the bus to school every day. The nearest grocery store was 20 miles away. Therefore, they had to stock up for a few weeks. During the winter time they were snowed in for weeks at a time not seeing anybody or anything. The snowdrifts would be five or six feet high. The house was isolated making it impossible to see another house which was two or three miles away. There was an old iron "black maria" range in the kitchen which had to kept fired up as most of the time the weather was below zero. The girls and Opal practically lived in the kitchen around the stove which served for cooking and heating. That was the only heat in the big house. The bedrooms were always cold, as there was no such thing as central heat at that time.
One winter of the cold weather was enough. Delbert obtained a position as superintendent and coach at Crofton, Nebraska. He remained there for four years. During the summers they'd go to Greeley, Colorado where Delbert was working on his master's degree. They spent three summers in Colorado.
While living in Crofton, they welcomed a new addition to the family. A little boy was born to them on September 28, 1939 to be named Clinton Eugene JONES. He was born at home. Opal had a nurse and a housekeeper. In that era women had to stay in bed for ten days after the baby was born. The first day they let her get up. She fainted from weakness. Clinton died March 17, 2001 at Cedars of Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles while awaiting a liver transplant. He is buried in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
They Lived in Crofton, Nebraska four years. During that time the second World War began. On December 7, 1941, the neighbor across the street came running over and told them to turn on the radio. They did to learn that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Beginning the following day many lives were changed including theirs. In the Summer of 1941 Delbert worked at a bomb plant in Grand Island, Nebraska.
That fall he found a job in Hondo, Texas where he taught meteorology to navigation students. While in Crofton Delbert had taken a University course in Meteorology, which qualified him to teach the subject. So in 1942 they made the long trek to Hondo, Texas. They had difficulty finding a place to live as Hondo was very crowded due to the war. They finally found a small house with a tin roof and no indoor plumbing. The winters were very mild, but the summers were very hot and humid. That was certainly a new experience for them after the long cold winters in Colorado and Nebraska.
They were able to have two gardens in Texas, one during the summer and one during the winter because the ground did not freeze. Their home was in Sabinal, about 25 miles from Hondo where Delbert worked. The men car-pooled so he did not have to drive every day. In the summertime the children and Opal remained outside in the shade as the house was so hot they couldn't stand it in the afternoon. Of course, there was no such thing as air conditioning, so they just opened the windows hoping to catch a breeze that wasn't too hot. They lived near a highway listening to the trucks rumbling along the road all night. They were carrying troops, ammunition and war equipment to various places.
They were rationed on many things such as sugar, gasoline, shoes and meat. Having a family of five allowed each a ration book so had all they needed. Opal did a lot of canning which helped on the food supply. Whenever they had an opportunity, they would take a little side trip. One such trip was a first venture into Mexico. For them it was like stepping into another world.
The stay in Texas was enjoyable, especially the mild winters. It did not snow there, so that was a new experience for the family.
The teaching job at Hondo Navigation School was terminated in 1943 requiring Delbert to look for another job. At Fort Worth, Texas he submitted an application for the Weather Bureau. Having taught meteorology at the Hondo Navigation School he had some experience in that line of work. After reviewing his application they decided to hire him sending him to Albuquerque, New Mexico. They had no idea where Albuquerque was so they consulted a map and found out there was, in fact, such a place. In September 1943 the family packed up, loaded a trailer and set out for Albuquerque which would prove to be their last big move. En route they encountered a lot of rain. The poor old trailer being overloaded with all their worldly possessions broke down at Ft. Stockton, Texas. They had to unload and store everything going on to Albuquerque in the old Plymouth as Delbert had to be at work on a certain date. They arrived in Albuquerque on Clinton's fourth birthday. The family put up at a tourist court on north fourth street. Delbert went to a store close by and bought Clinton a little jeep for his birthday. They lived at the court for two weeks while searching for a house to rent. A little house on North Broadway ended the search. It had two bedrooms and a big fenced-in yard. This house was home while they sought a place to purchase.
They finally bought an older house in the heights with a selling price of $3,200. A savings of $500 provided the down payment. The sale fortunately included some furniture allowing them to move in without delay. There was a lot of cleaning and fixing up to do at 208 Vassar, but it was theirs. The home had five rooms and a back porch. The big back yard was a great place for children to play. It was also close to a grade school, Monte Vista, and a Jr. high school, Jefferson. The children could walk to school and come home at lunch time. Many times a little girl came with them as she would have to be alone at her house.
They raised a big garden. As it was war time, everyone was encouraged to raise their own vegetables. They also raised chickens and rabbits to eat. The children would make pets out of the rabbits when they were little, so it was hard to eat them. They also had cats and dogs for pets.
August 1945 saw the end of World War II and the whole world celebrated the big event. No family was happier about it than the JONESES. Delbert had a draft number, however, he was repeatedly deferred because of his employment with the Weather Bureau.
Opal started the Southwest Teachers Agency in the fall of 1946. It did not do too well the first year profiting only about $1,000. The business was started in a small room in the house at 208 South Vassar. There were one portable typewriter, one file cabinet, one old desk and one portable typewriter. Opal sat on books to get high enough to use the typewriter. From this small beginning, they built a business that lasted 30 great years. Delbert continued to work at the weather bureau for about seven years. The business grew too big for her to handle alone. Delbert resigned from the weather bureau and worked full time at the Southwest Teachers Agency. The children pitched in at stuffmg envelopes, etc. Charlotte helped out with the housework. Dorothy helped in the office. From the small room they moved out onto a front porch that Delbert had built across the front of the house. The business outgrew that space, and they bought a five-room house down at 1303 Central Avenue. They tore down the little five-room house in 1960 and built a two-story office building on the lot. The business continued to grow requiring three full-time secretaries during the busy summer months.
During the winter months they traveled about the country taking the work with them. They managed to see every state in the Union, except Alaska. (Sometime after Delbert's death Opal visited Alaska accompanied by her dear friend, Wilma Hume of Anthony, Texas) They started camping out of a station wagon, graduated to a tent camper, then to a truck and camper shell. They took one 7,000 mile trip in the truck from Long Island, New York to Florida and back to Albuquerque. The truck camper was traded for a 20-foot trailer which they had for four years. After the trailer they bought a class C Brougham motor home.
Delbert and Opal decided to buy a new home in 1962. They bought a beautiful brick home at 1309 San Pablo, N.E. in Albuquerque. The house had more than 2,200 square feet, so it was the biggest house they ever owned. Opal said, "It was quite a thrill to own our first new home. All the time we lived there, we were both working in the business, so it got to be quite a job to take care of the house and yard and also work away from home. We did enjoy that big home for nine years, and in the course of those years, we had many visitors. It was nice to have plenty of room to accommodate them."
In 1967 they decided to buy two acres in Texas. In fact, at that time, it was two acres of cotton fields which had to be cleared. That was a real pioneering adventure. They had to scour all over the place to find poles to put up light wires and had a well driller drill a well on one of the acres so they could have water. They purchased a second hand mobile home to put on one of the half-acres and proceeded to landscape the place. Delman Hume, a boy who lived down the road helped every Saturday planting trees. Without his help they could not have made the place look so nice. At the time they moved the mobile home onto the property there were only about six families in the neighborhood. Later the whole place became completely built up. It was a good location as it is just 18 miles from El Paso and 2 miles south of the small town of Anthony, El Paso County, Texas. They became acquainted with some very nice people. They spent eight winters at the Anthony address. The weather was about 20 degrees warmer in the winter then in Albuquerque making it most enjoyable.
Delbert was stricken with arthritis in both hips in 1968. They made many trips to see a Mexican doctor in Nogales, Mexico. That doctor kept him walking, even though he had to use two canes, for 12 long years. However, arthritis and two canes didn't seem to slow him down any, as he did everything anyone else did with gusto. Delbert was one tenacious survivor.
For the next nine years they lived in Albuquerque in the summer working in the business and spent the winters at their mobile home in Anthony. It was quite a job for Opal to load up the car every time to go to Texas and they always had a car load to bring back to Albuquerque. Work at the Southwest Teachers Agency in Albuquerque commenced in March.
In 1971 they decided to give up the big home on San Pablo after nine years and convert the upper floor of the office building into an apartment. After finishing the office work downstairs they worked many nights on the apartment. It took about four months to complete the project. The big home and huge yard were getting to be too much for the old folks. They lived in the apartment for five years. During that time Delbert had two strokes, one light one and one heavy stroke. That experience prompted them to think about retiring and buying another house. This would allow them to spend more time out of doors.
Delbert was not too happy with the poor construction of new homes. One day while driving along Juan Tabo they saw a new house roof installed to take a look. It had an alley and a large back yard in which to park the new Brougham motor home. They went around to the front of the house and were informed by the builder that the place was sold. They looked at it anyway. About three days later Delbert called to ask if the deal had gone through. He was told that the prospective buyer was unable to raise the down payment so they went back for a second look. It was close to all the shopping they would ever need and close to bus transportation. They went back to the apartment and thought about it. A few days later they went back and bought the place. They went back every day after that to watch them build their new house. Move-in day was November 18, 1976.
The first big trip in the new Brougham motor home was in July 1976 when they went to visit their granddaughter in Seattle, Washington on the occasion of the birth of their first great-grandchild. Their second eldest daughter and her son accompanied them. The daughter remained in Seattle helping the new mother while Delbert, Opal and the grandson went on a camping trip to Canada. Four months after arriving home they received word that the new great grandchild of whom they were so proud died of crib death.
On November 18, 1976, they moved into the second new home. It was smaller than the first one but adequate for their needs. They were happy to have a nice place to park the new camping machine, the Brougham motor home. They really enjoyed that little home on wheels taking many fishing and camping trips in it.
One of the fishing trips near Mt. Taylor, west of Albuquerque near Grants, New Mexico ended suddenly and tragically as that was the first heart attack Delbert had. He had the first pains while still fishing. Delbert drove all the way home not knowing how serious the problem was. He did not want to see a doctor when arriving home but waited a day before seeing a doctor. When he did see the doctor, they discovered he had a massive heart attack. They were thankful he survived the first one, but things were never the same after that.
The remainder of 1979 Delbert was in and out of the hospital quite a bit. They did not go to Texas for the winters any more. They stayed very close to home thereafter.
They did go out to California to visit their eldest daughter and her husband and their family for Christmas. While there Delbert did not feel so good at the end of the visit. He really did enjoy all the Christmas celebration, but after Christmas he did not feel very well. Opal wanted him to see a doctor out in California. However, Delbert insisted on waiting until he got home so he could see Dr. Cramer, his regular doctor. Right after New Year's day, he wanted to see his younger brother, Carroll, who lived in Culver City, California. So they went down there for two days. His condition grew worse Sunday evening so Opal called the airline for reservations and they left for home early Monday morning.
He needed oxygen all the way home. Opal had a wheelchair waiting for him when he got off the plane. As soon as they got home Opal put him in bed little knowing that he would never be able to get up again. He did not improve much in the next three days. On Thursday, January 10, 1980, Opal and their second eldest daughter took him to the hospital. He was placed in intensive care and died the next day, Friday, January 11, 1980 at 3:00 P.M. Opal said, in her LIFE STORY OF OPAL AND DELBERT JONES, "this is the end of my story. We had a great life for almost fifty years, and there was certainly never a dull moment."
Carroll J. Jones, Sr., Delbert's youngest brother said of them, "they were the most loving and forgiving people I've ever known."
Delbert and Opal were placed in the Mausoleum at Sunset Memorial Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Delbert and Opal had three children: two daughters and a son.
Bibliography: Life History of Opal and Delbert Jones by Carroll J. Jones, undated, unpublished. Personal knowledge of the author
Submitted by: Carroll J. Jones, Sr.
4.895 Galicia Way
Oceanside, CA 92656-5126
760-758-6991
Carrolljones@cox.net
April 2003
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