Mary Jewell Velo

Memorial services for Mary Jewell Velo will be held Thursday, Aug. 6 at 10 am, at Whinery-Huddleston Funeral Home in Lawton, Okla. Burial will follow at the Ft. Sill Post Cemetery.

Mary was born Oct. 21, 1930 in Jacksboro to Jess and Mary Montgomery Herd. She graduated from Jacksboro High School in 1948. She was active in the elementary school band, high school FHA, and Pep Squad. She was also a Girl Scout.

Mary attended Draughon School of Business in Ft. Worth. She was chosen by Dun &Camp; Bradstreet to work at their company because she was the fastest and most correct typist at Draughon School.

During this time, she rented a room from Mary Corbello Singlar in Ft. Worth. Mary Singlar had a nephew in the United States Army, Morris Joe Velo. She admired Mary Jewell so much that she told her nephew he better come home from Japan and meet this girl. And so he did, and a lifelong love affair began. They wrote hundreds of lengthy "sugar report" letters back and forth.

They were married July 25, 1950, in Jacksboro while Joe was home on leave for his father's funeral. After driving Joe back to California for Japan, she came back to Jacksboro to help her parents at the family Herd Hamburger stand, until she could join him at his next station in Germany.

Following their stay in Germany, they made their home in Lawton while Joe was stationed at Ft. Sill. He later would be stationed in Korea, while Mary stayed home raising two children. She kept busy with her gardening, bowling, and friends. She took coffee to home construction builders on her street. The builders knew if they needed water or a snack they could come to Mary. She knew everyone on the block and helped anyone, even pulling ticks or fleas off neighborhood dogs. She always had a dog or two, and several cats. No cat was a stranger, unless they fought with her own cat.

Mary was a devoted wife and helped Joe with all his interests. She helped him restore numerous antique cars, and later Volkswagons. It wasn't unusual to see her beautiful legs under a car on the driveway with a tool in hand. They were both members of the Lawton Antique Auto Club, and enjoyed taking the old cars out for a drive around town.

Mary and Joe were members of the Northwest Church of Christ in Lawton and attended faithfully since 1953. Mary volunteered numerous times at the church camp, Camp Lu-Jo Kismif, as a cook. She found it difficult to attend church as she got older and tending to the postal contracts. She enjoyed being part of the non-denominational Women for Christ group.

Raising Iris gardens was a passion, continuing a love of Iris from her parents. She enjoyed gardening alongside Joe. Upon his retirement from the army in 1964, Mary soon helped Joe with his USPS contracts, hauling mail based out of the Lawton Main Post Office. She continued his postal contracts after his death in 1991.

She later received a plaque of appreciation from the Lawton office for her outstanding performance and commitment to the postal service. She continued driving after breaking her upper leg in 2005, and later knee replacements. She could drive the truck as long as someone was with her to load and unload.

Mary enjoyed her grandchildren. She loved how they ran to hug her and enjoyed being with her. She loved seeing her great grandchildren and was proud to know how well her grandkids raised their own children.

Mobile Meals of Lawton became a passion Mary insisted on delivering every Monday. She also started the long tradition of using her mail trucks to transport the yearly USPS food drive donations to the Lawton Food Bank.

Mary Jewell was a jewel to all who knew her. She never yelled or argued. She was kind to everyone. She always had a smile to share. She taught life lessons by stories. For example, if you were driving too fast, she'd share a news report of someone driving so fast their car ended up on top of a building. She taught life lessons by sewing, science experiments or restoring cars.

Each one is taking life step by step. Sometimes its like a jig saw puzzle like in restoring cars. All the pieces may not be there, but by searching, the pieces come together.

Upon the words of her great granddaughter Kaedey, "grandma is restored now and riding around in a VW Bug with grandpa and Morris (their son)".

She was preceded in death by her husband, Sgt. Morris Joe Velo, a son, Morris Ray Velo, one brother, Jesse Joy Herd, twin siblings Johnie and Caroline who dies soon after birth, and her parents Jess and Mary Herd.

She is survived by daughter Mary Angelina Randall and husband Clifton Randall of Chattanooga, Okla., three grandsons and their wives, Jason and Callie Randall and their children Cooper and Chloe of Arlington, Justin and Marie Randall and children Kassidy, Kourtney, and Kaedey of Wynnewood and Chattanooga, Okla, and Jarrot and Ashlee Randall of Whitehouse, Texas, two brothers, Claude Herd and wife Orlene, and Gerald Herd and wife Jo, all of Jacksboro.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lawton Food Bank or to Mobile Meals of Lawton.