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Dr. Oakah L. Jones Jr. passed away peacefully November 23 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Oakah was born in Providence, Rhode Island on June 20, 1930 to Oakah L. Jones Sr. and Dorothy Wilson Jones and was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended the University of Tulsa, the University of Arkansas and was a U.S. Naval Academy graduate in 1953. He went on to serve 23 years in the U.S. Air Force including 13 years at the Air Force Academy. Oakah married Nancy Aline Andre. They had three children: Marcia Aline (Jones) Curtis (1954), Kathleen Ann Jones (1958), and Christopher Andre Jones (1961). He obtained his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in history at the University of Oklahoma with specialties in Latin American and Southwestern history. He and his first wife Nancy divorced in July of 1977. Oakah married his high school sweetheart, Marjorie Blackburn, on January 1, 1983. They lived in Sevilla, Spain; Lafayette, Indiana; and San Antonio, Texas before retiring in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1994. They moved to Colorado Springs this past August. An accomplished author and professor, he published five books and numerous articles. He was bilingual in English and Spanish, and was a widely respected speaker. Oakah was a charter member of the Western History Association and served as a tour leader for study groups on trips to Peru, Bolivia, Costa Rica and Guatemala. He loved his family, sports and his dog Sandy. He was a devout member of his church. Oakah was a loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle and grandfather. He was a great mentor, friend and teacher. He will be dearly missed. Oakah was preceded in death by his parents; and his daughter Kathleen Ann Jones. He is survived by his wife Marjorie Jones; sister Judy Gallagher; daughter Marcia Curtis; son Chris Jones; stepsons, Craig and Grant Henderson and stepdaughter Lisa O'Harra; nephews, grand nieces and nephews, and ten grandchildren. He recently became a great-grandfather. Services will be held Saturday, December 4, 2010 with a visitation from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., at Swan Law Funeral Home. A memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m., at Grace Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to the Kathleen Ann Jones memorial fund at Colorado College.
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