Jack A. Dameron
Jack Anderson Dameron was born on February 14, 1927 to Marvin and Laura (Medley) Dameron. He had one older sister Dorothy who was 10.5 years older. Special days that Jack remembers on the farm around Northview are when they butchered hogs and made sausage. He had several uncles; Lawrence Dameron, Otis Dameron and Lucian Dameron. One aunt, Bell Dameron who lived in Texas as far back as Jack can remember. His grandma Medley passed away before Jack was almost eight and his grandpa Medley passed away in 1949 when Jack was 22.
He attended old Dallas School for 8 years and would ride his pony “Prince” to school from time to time. He graduated from Marshfield High School in May 1944. He started Southwest Missouri Teachers College (MSU) that fall but the dreaded age of 18 came to Jack on February 14, 1945 and he went to take his test to enter the military service. He was able to finish his first year of college and his dad applied for Jack an extension for 60 days to do farm work before leaving for the service. The young men were needed to work family farms as so many older men were off serving in the war.
Jack received a letter on August 1, 1945 welcoming him into the service but the war was coming to an end in Europe as we had dropped the bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the peace treaty was signed August 14, 1945 on the Missouri. Jack left for the service on August 18, 1945 and went to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. He was tested and passed but found out he was color blind. He was drafted into the Air Force and was tickled to be in that branch of the military. Jack took basic training at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Kansas and then on to Weather School at Chanute Field in Illinois with the title of Weather Observer. He was then transferred to Tinker Field in Oklahoma which was one of the four HQ’s of the weather observer’s stations. He had made Corporal and really didn’t want to go to the southwest part of the United States but was told to report to Alamogordo, New Mexico (90 miles north of El Paso, Texas.) While there Jack bought an Indian motorcycle 4 cycles and enjoyed riding while still serving in the military. He was a NCO (Non Commissioned Officer) at Alamogordo, New Mexico but was soon transferred to San Antonio Randolph Field and then went to Independence Kansas. While at Independence he and another air force buddy stayed with an older lady that rented out bedrooms in her house since there were no barracks at this location. He was soon transferred to Fort Worth Army Field which was a separation center when you were leaving the service. Jack had served his country and received his papers to leave the service in December 1946.
Jack and another buddy from New Jersey left from Fort Worth to visit his buddies Aunt in Los Angeles, California. While visiting her, Jack attended an Art Unveiling and he remembered the painting that was unveiled was of Bob Waterfield’s son who was one of the best football players at that time. It was December and chilly even in California and Jack the boy from the Ozarks built a fire in the fireplace for everyone at the unveiling and became an overnight hero.
He met Betty Graves the next spring of 1947 and they married in April 1948. They lived for a short time in Minneapolis while Jack worked at Minneapolis Moline Implement Co. That winter was a cold hard winter and they decided to move back to the family farm. They lived on 245 acres and Jack milked cows and finally built a Grade A barn in 1950 which paid for itself in a year and a half. Electricity came to rural Northview folks late in 1948 which made everyone’s work so much easier.
Randy was born on February 26, 1954 and Jack and Betty had their first child, a son. Jack was driving a truck for Bill Welch along with farming and then went to work at the Farmer’s Exchange in Northview in September 1954. He sold feed, bought chickens, hardware, etc. He was the manager and Betty helped with the books.
Jack went to work at Royal McBee in September 1960 in the Plating department but was soon laid off. He fell back on farming again and decided to go back to college. He started in the fall in 1962 and graduated in May 1965 with a BS in Education majoring in Social Studies and English. He continued to farm even after graduation.
Jack worked in the Insurance Industry in St. Louis from September 1965 until he retired in February, 1992.
Jack and Bess moved to Kinnett, MO in October 1992 and Bess passed away in April, 1994. They had been married 27 years.
Jack then met Patsy Newton in 1994 and they married December 1994. Pat retired from Webster Electric in July 1995 and they bought a cabin on Tablerock in the fall of 1996. They both enjoyed many trips through the 16 years they were married. Pat passed away October 9, 2011.
Preceding him in death were his parents; his wife, Patsy; sister, Dorothy, and brother-in-law Julian; sister-in-law Kathleen Davis and brother-in-law Freddie Walton.
Jack is survived by his son, Randy Dameron and his wife, Jan, Marshfield, stepdaughter, Melody Mikkelsen and her husband, Mark, Marshfield, stepson, Rodney Rader, Ozark, seven grandchildren, six great grandchildren, sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Betty and Harold Bouldin, Marshfield, and brother-in-law, Clarence Davis, Eldon.
Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 26, 2019 in the Fraker Funeral Home, Inc., Marshfield. Interment will follow in the Mt.Olive Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until service time Saturday in the funeral home.
The family suggests memorial contributions can be made to the Mt.Olive Cemetery in care of Fraker Funeral Home, Inc., P.O. Box 85, Marshfield, MO 65706.