Life's A Dance: Jack Deason my Father

This weekend is Father's Day. My husband says it's a made up holiday, but I still think it is a good one. I thought I would use this time to honor My Father. I've already used this venue to talk about what a great Grandfather my husband is.

Jack Deason as a baby

My dad, Jack Deason, was born Gilbert Jack Deason to Essie Morgan Deason and Oscar Haywood Deason on October 1, 1923. He was born in a little house on the side of a canyon in the middle of Caddo County, Oklahoma. His birth certificate says Gracemont, Oklahoma. In fact it is about 5 miles west of Gracemont. He was the oldest of three children. He had two sisters. Reba June, and Polly Jane. My grandparents called their children Jack, June and Polly. No one knows why they called Polly by her first name and not Jane.

Jack with his parents Oscar and Essie

Jack with his family Essie, Oscar, Polly and June

Dad started to school when he was 5years old. I never had to listen to stories about how far he walked to school, because the one room school he attended was in fact on the property his parents owned. He had to walk down the hill about 1/4 of a mile. I guess he was a very smart little boy and even though he was young, he picked up on everything the teacher was teaching the 1st graders and the 2nd graders so she promoted him to 2nd grade that first year. Yes, my dad skipped 1st grade. I don't think that was really unusual back then, except that he didn't turn six until October. He went to school at Foster through the 8th grade. At that time Foster students went to Fort Cobb to high school. Later when I was growing up it became part of the Oney School District which is now Binger-Oney School. Back to Dad, he first met my mom when they both went to Fort Cobb to school in 8th Grade.

Jack's Senior Picture

I don't know too much about how they met or when they started dating. I guess I need to ask my Aunt Polly. She was 11 years younger than my dad. All I do know is that my parents met in high school and graduated in 1940 from Fort Cobb High School. Dad was only 16 years old when he graduated. Mom was only 17 at the time, but she turned 18 before he turned 17.

Dad went with his friend Eunice Morrison on a trip after graduation. I am not sure where all they went but I know they drove up Pike's Peak in Colorado. Those two guys talked about that trip for years. They went other places I'm just not sure where all it was.

Maye and Jack about 1945

Dad also attended OSU and my mom went to Cameron in Lawton. My parents married I think after one year of college. They were married on August 16, 1942. I know that they were married when my dad was in school at Stillwater. They moved back to the farm after that year so my dad could help out there. I'm not sure what year he went in to the Navy, but he was drafted in the Navy during WWII. Mervin was born May 9, 1944. Dad was one of the last people drafted and therefore when the war ended he was one of the last ones to be let out. He was trained on a submarine. The war ended before he was sent overseas. When he got out of the Navy he wanted finish his degree at OSU, but they could not find a place to live.

Jack the Sailor

After the war he was asked to teach Vetrans classes. He taught classes to men coming back from the war. He taught in two different places in Oklahoma...Greenfield and Binger. Then he came back to the farm to help my grandpa. David was born July 7, 1948. Maye and Jack, my parents, bought the west half of the section where my grandparents lived. I don't know what year they bought the land.

Six years later I came along. February 28, 1954. I have so many fond memories of my dad. Almost every day that my dad went to the field on the tractor I knew when he would come in for lunch and the evening meal too. I would run down the road south of our house about 1/2 mile and ride the tractor back to the house with him. He always helped me with my show animals. He also would not let me move pipe in the field or drive the tractor to work ground. I only had to pick cotton or chop weeds if I wanted to earn extra money. He wanted me at the house helping my mother. We did go to the stockshows as a family. It was almost like the Tulsa State Fair was our vacation every year. That and the one day we took in the summer to go to an amusement park in Oklahoma City. We ate all of our meals together at the table where my dad prayed before our meals. We drove 20 miles to Anadarko three times a week to church. Both our parents set a good example of studying the bible and teaching others about Christ.

Me and my dad

My parents lived on this farm all of our lives. They farmed and raised Shorthorn cattle. People came from all over the USA to buy cattle from my dad. He was on the school board at Oney, an Elder at the Church of Christ at Anadarko, and was also on the National Shorthorn Cattle Association Board. He was always involved in the community. Dad and my Uncle Jim Rogers bought the J&J Ford in 1968. My parents moved to town in 1973 because he had gotten sick. Jack lived until December 22, 1975. He was only 52 years old, but he had a great impact on this world in his short time.

He never got angry with me. I can't speak for anyone else, but he never raised his voice to me and he also never spanked me. He would just say "Sister, you didn't need to do that. You can always tell us the truth." That was enough to crush my heart and feel so bad for what I'd done. He was a soft spoken man, and when he spoke most people listened. Some way, I'm not sure how, my parents were able to make meWant to please them. I just never wanted to disappoint them.