Our Family's Journey Through Time
David was born on October 3, 1941 in St. Mary's Hospital, Streator, Illinois. He was the last of 10 children born to David Leroy and Elverda Emma Jones, living at Long Point, Illinois.
David moved with the family to Morris, Illinois and then on to Lawrence, Michigan in 1947. The family lived here on a 25 acre farm. David attended school in Lawrence where he was a good student finishing tied for second highest scolastic honors for grades k - 8th. He enjoyed the outdoors that the country offered, particularly the farm pond, streams, swamps and woods in the area.
David moved with the family to a 15 acre plot on Nursery Road, Paw Paw, Michigan in 1957 after completing the 9th grade at Lawrence. (He lived with his sister and brother-in-law, Vivian and Horace Hutchins, for a short time while finishing the grade.) This home was located in the Lawton School District from which David graduated in June 1960. He was involved in School Government and played basketball while at Lawton.
His first venture into the working world was in the summer of 1958 when he went to work for Mr. Bill Ross who ran a Pur Oil service station on Red Arrow Highway (near the new high school) in Paw Paw. His pay was $1.00/hour and had no provision for overtime or holidays. He pumped gas, washed cars, polished cars, lubed cars and trucks and whatever else there was to do. He met a man named Joe Malito who was the company representative for the Pur Oil Company and who recommended that David apply for a grant-in-aid for a course of Petroleum Distribution offered at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. He applied, he got it, he attended WMU and graduated in December 1966 with a BS degree.
The Petroleum Distribution course involved a cooperative training progran with a number of different companies and on-the-job-training. The OJT programs took him to Lansing, Michigan for 2 semesters and to Chicago, Illinois for 1 semester. Being away from home in a strange city was a real growing-up experience for a country boy.
In 1965, while working as a bookkeeper and assistant manager of a truckstop at exit 66 on Interstate 94 near Mattawan, Michigan, David met a waitress in the restaurant there. Her name was Judy Kay White. Their first date was on May 10, 1965, the became engaged in November of 1965 and were married July 23, 1966.
David and Judy both worked to put David through college. David worked 2 jobs most of the time. One was with Sears and Roebuck as a automotive department salesman and the other was a ward attendant at the Kalamazoo State Mental Hospital.
While at Western, David enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). He was active in the Torch and Blade Society and the Pershing Rifles Drill Team. He attended training camp at Ft. Riely, Kansas. David held many ranks in the ROTC program, graduating as a Cadet Lieutenant Colonel and assistant Brigade Commander. He received the Reserve Officer Association Award as well. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and assigned to Ft. Bliss, Texas in January for 3 months of training in the Nike-Hercules air-defense missil school. David and Judy lived in nearby El Paso, Texas during this time.
In April of 1966 David and Judy were re-assigned to Germany and lived in Government Housing at Heilbron. March 28, 1968 Victoria Susan Jones was born at the Army Hospital at Stutgart. The family returned to the U.S. in November of 1968 when David was re-assigned to Viet Nam.
He first spent some time at Ft. Lewis, Washington and then flew into Cam Ran Bay, Viet Nam in January 1969. He was assigned to the 1st Cavalary Division as a Division Fire Support Officer. David was promoted to the rank of Captain in February 1969. He was awarded a few decoration, including the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. He returned home in January 1970. They lived in Paw Pat at this time.
David found work as a chemical salesman for the J.J. Dill Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan and worked there until August 1971 when he went to work for the Moorman livestock producers in the SW corner of Kalamazoo county. He was promoted to District Sales Manager in 1972. tp State Sales Manager in 1977 and Field Sales and Management Trainer in 1985.
Judy was born in Lakeview Community Hospital at Paw Paw, Michigan on January 10, 1944. Her parents were Emerson and Marion (Mahoney) White of Lawton, Michigan.
She started school in a one-room school in Plainwell, Michigan in September, 1949. In 1952 the family moved back to Lawton where Judy enrolled in school, graduating in 1964.
Upon graduating Judy went to work at the Expressway Inn, Mattawan, michigan where whe met David and was married July 23, 1966.
Vicki was born on March 28, 1968 at 1:00AM, weighing 6# 10 oz. at 5th Army Hospital, Stutgart, Bad Constat, West Germany. She carries dual citizenship as a result of being born to U.S. citizens in West Gernamy.
She lived in Wharton Barracks, Heilbron, West Germany until moving to Paw Paw, Michigan in November, 1968 with her parents. She lived here until September 1971 when a job change forced the family to move to Vine St. Vicksburg, Michigan, then in June of 1972 a move to Floral Drive in Belding, Michigan and then in July of 1973 the family was transferred to VanDyke Road, Marlette, Michigan.
Vicki started school at Bea McDonald Elementary School in Marlette in September 1973 and progressed through the grades until the family moved back to Belding, Michigan in January 1977 when Vicki was half-way through the third grade. She entered Orchard Hills Elementary School, then to the Belding Middle School and finally to Belding High School, graduating in June 1986.
Vicki was bery popular and active while in school. Involved in girl's basketball, jazz danding, high school cheerleader, National Honor Society, marching and concert band, and may fun-loving pranks on both teachers and fellow students.
Vicki enjoyed mechanical drawing and advanced well in that field to the point of pursuing Architectural Engineering as her course of stuby at Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan. She studied from September, 1986 to June 1988 and earned an Associate Degree in Architectural Engineering.
In June of 1988 she worked for Autobond Corp in Grand Rapids as a CAD operator then in Octover of that year she moved to a more challenging position at Belco Industries in Belding, Michigan.
Brian was born at 8:00AM at Bronson Methodist Hospita, Kalamazoo, Michigan on June 12, 1971 weighing 6# 8oz. His parents lived in the DeVan Mobile Home Park in Paw Paw, Michigan at this time.
Brian moved with his family from Paw Paw, to Vicksburg, to Belding, to Marlette and finally back to Belding.
He started school in September 1976 at Bea McDonald Elementary School in Marlette, Michigan. Switched to Ellis Elementary School in Belding, then to the Belding Middle School and then Belding High School. Graduating in June 1989.
Brian's early interest was in cars and trucks, playing with them for hours on end. He later switched to skateboards and became very proficient at doing many exciting and scary stunts. Not always successful with the tricks, he suffered many bumps and bangs along the way. His most serious injury cane with he fell with his bike while going down High Street hill "no-handed" in 1981. He spent a couple of night in the Greenville Hospital with a mild concussion and a few weeks with scabs and brusies.
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