Irene Rebecca Reddin Jones was born on June 19, 1924. Her parents were Ella May Boyd Reddin and Ivy Franklin Reddin. They were living in Doniphan, Missouri when Rebecca was born.
Rebecca graduated from Oakwood High School in May,1943. In the fall of 1943, she enrolled in Southwestern State Teachers College. She attended college for two semesters and qualified for an emergency teaching certificate. This was during the period of World War II, and there was a scarcity of teachers.
Rebecca enrolled in correspondence classes and went back to college during the summer months. She graduated from college in 1950, with a major in Business and elementary education, plus a minor in Dramatics. In 1986 Rebecca retired after teaching school for 43 years. Over these years Rebecca taught in one room school houses, single school districts and multi-schools districts.
On October 18, 1947, Rebecca was married to Charles W. Jones. In 1950 they moved to Oklahoma City. They have two children. A son, Charles William Jones II, and a daughter, Charla Ann Jones.
These are the words our mother wrote about herself many years ago, not knowing they would one day become a part of her own obituary. This was what our mother was all about. *She was a daughter, a teacher, a wife, and a mother. She left out her role as a sister, an aunt, and faithful Christian who did much to help others out that were in need be it her own family, friends, or a stranger. Her whole life she was dedicated to children and to the teaching of children. Rather it be her own children or the children she taught as her own in her classroom.
Our mother loved us, her children, dearly and would do anything to help us in any aspect of our lives to help us succeed at our dreams and desires. She was a fierce protectress, an advocate, a disciplinarian and a giving mother who raised us, along with our father, to be independent, creative, giving, strong, and sacrificing.
She was the seventh of ten children and with her death comes the end of this generation of the Reddin family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Ella Reddin, her brothers, Roy, Russell, and Raymond, and her sisters, Ruby, Rosie, Lorene, Ruth, Helen, and Marie. Her husband of 57 years, Charles left her side in 2004. Her dog Blossom was a constant by her side in her later years. Blossom and her much loved grand dogs, Gallahad, Chaucer, Sadie, Mande, Tundra, Nike, Brinkley, Presley, Griffin, and Gracie are patiently awaiting rejoining her.
She is survived by her son, Charles II and his wife Regina and her daughter Charla Wille and her husband Jim. Also surviving her are granddogs Bonne, Woody, TedE, Max and Rigby. She has numerous nieces and nephews, their children, their children’s children and yet another generation of children that knew her as Aunt Becky.
Our mother was a teacher! Even amidst the ravages of her dementia she was still teaching throughout the night and day, correcting and showing “the children in her mind” how to do the work correctly and told them of the need to always double check your work.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Rebecca Reddin Jones Scholarship Fund for education students at Rebecca’s alma mater, Southwestern Oklahoma State University to honor her, her love of teaching and her love of students.
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