Mabel J (Horton) Oakes
Marriages
George Raymond Mullins
Sterling Eugene Simmons - December 2, 1939
Fred Wesley Oakes - September 17, 1959
Burial Details
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 8A - November 9, 2011
Mabel J. Oakes of Grand Junction,
Colorado went to be with her
Lord on November 4, 2011 at her
home. On the 12th of December
1914, Mabel was the fourth born
of twelve to Lee Thomas and
Junia Alma (Walker) Horton in
Big Piney, Missouri. She would
tell stories on how her family
lived 2 or 3 miles from the closest
post office, school house, and general store. They walked everywhere
they needed to go and since Mabel and her siblings only had
one pair of shoes a year they would go barefooted most of the time.
When there was a big snow, her father would hitch a horse to a big
log and drag it to create a path so the children could walk to school.
The school that she attended was a one-room school house with only
one teacher whom she was very fond of. Mabel loved school, but
unfortunately she was rarely able to attend because she and her older
sister Marble had to stay home to take care of their younger siblings,
so she never had the opportunity to finish school. Her mother would
make the girls dresses and they only had two each, one for church
and one for every day. Mabel hated her everyday dress so she would
swipe her brother Ray's overalls.
When she was 13 years old she moved with her family to Pampa,
Texas for work in the oil fields. Mabel was 25 when she married
Sterling Eugene Simmons on December 2, 1939. Her husband was a
cowboy and rancher so she took on the responsibilities of a rancher's
wife. They lived outside of Santa Rosa, New Mexico on a ranch
called Driggers (Bar Y). They stayed there until their two daughters
Patricia Jean and Frankie Ann were able to attend school. Then they
moved to the 7-V Ranch near Bellview, New Mexico.
Mabel was usually very busy during her days, cooking for the
ranch hands and keeping up with her household, but sometimes she
would find the time to ride with her husband, which she loved to do.
For a short time they lived in Tucumcari to tend to Sterling's health,
but later relocated to Burn's Ranch in Nara Vista, New Mexico
where Sterling passed away on September 1, 1949.
After Sterling's passing, Mabel and the girls moved to Albuquerque,
New Mexico. While living in Albuquerque, Mabel worked at a
dress shop for a short time, and then later a cook for the all girls'
Catholic school. Soon Mabel met and married George Raymond
Mullins in Albuquerque. George was a welder and diesel mechanic
so after 3 years of marriage they all moved to Farmington, New
Mexico so he could work. Mabel went back to retail; she first
worked at a dry goods store and then Black's Pharmacy that soon
became one of her favorite places to work. She ran the register and
worked the front of the store; on most days it was just her and two
pharmacists. As always Mabel was very involved with her church
and was a member of the Rebecca's, the women's chapter of the Odd
Fellow's Fraternity in Farmington. After the girls graduated from
Farmington High School and several years of marriage, George and
Mabel parted ways, but remained friends throughout the years.
On September 17, 1959 Mabel married Fred Wesley Oakes in
Nucla, Colorado where Patricia and her family lived; coincidentally
it was also Patricia's birthday. In 1960 Fred and Mabel moved to
Morrow Bay, California where Fred was the Captain of the Morrow
Bay Fire Department and a member of the search and rescue squad.
While living in California Mabel and Fred dabbled in real estate by
buying and selling homes. They also ventured into the wholesale
gardening business where they rented a plot of land with a few other
people and farmed lots of vegetables, but mostly tomatoes and snow
peas. Their produce was then sold to local restaurants and grocery
stores. Her family recalls how thin and fit she was while she worked
really hard on her gardens.
After Fred's retirement and 30 years spent in California, Fred and
Mabel decided to move to Grand Junction, Colorado to be closer to
their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Mabel and
Fred spent the duration of their lives in Grand Junction. Both of
them had retired from work, but Mabel still volunteered her time
and talents to her church as well as the Veteran's Hospital. She was
also an active member of T.O.P.S. (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly)
and enjoyed winning awards and earning promotions for her efforts.
Mabel's true enjoyment was being with her friends and family.
Every year she would go on road trips with Patricia to Texas and
Oklahoma to visit family afar and on a daily basis she would visit
with her friends and play dominos with them. She also took on
responsibilities helping Patricia with her household and family,
including taking part in the upbringing of her first great grandchild
Phoenix Price (Hadley). In her spare time when she wasn't cooking,
canning, teaching lessons, visiting, or volunteering, she would read
her bible and the news, go for walks and talk to her Lord.
Mabel was preceded in death by her parents, Lee and Junia Horton;
five brothers; Willie Lee Horton, Franklin Levy Horton, Clinton
Ossie Horton, Dillard Elmon Horton, and Lloyd Eugene Horton; two
sisters; Mary Marble Blackstock Provine and Eunice Ann Smith
Ratliff; a stepdaughter, Annie Pauline Seitz and her husband, Claude
“Red” Seitz; a great-grandson, Ryder Price Hadley; a step-grandson,
Tommy Oakes; and her constant companion for almost 20 years, a
little black cocker spaniel named, Blackie.
Mabel is survived by her daughters; Patricia Jean and husband,
Stephen Price, of Grand Junction, CO, and Frankie (Ann) Geneiva
and husband, Thomas Martin of Wayne, OK; stepson, Wesley
Oakes and his wife, Penny, and two daughters; Nikki and Chrystal,
of Grand Junction, CO; grandson, Marc Price and wife, Shannon;
great-granddaughter, Brenna; and step-great-grandson, Jeremy
Badour of Jacksonville Beach, FL; grandson, Chris Price, of Silt,
CO; grandson, Stan Martin and wife Andrea; great-grandsons, Sam
and Joe, of Wayne, OK; grandson, Danny Martin of Wayne, OK;
and foster-grandson, Tommy Miller and wife Kandi, of Chickasha,
OK; great-granddaughter, Phoenix (Price) and husband, Austin
Hadley; and great-great-granddaughter, Amelia, of New Castle, CO;
great-granddaughter, Jessica (Martin) and husband, Brian Kumfer;
and great-great-grandson, Landon, of Denham Springs, LA;
g r e a t - g r a n d d a u g h t e r , J a m i e ( M a r t i n ) F e a g i n ; a n d
great-great-granddaughter, Jayden, of Denham Springs, LA;
great-granddaughter, Christina Martin, of Denham Springs, LA;
grandson, Jim Seitz and wife, Sue, of Amarillo, TX; Sterling
Thomas Seitz, of Amarillo, TX; brother, Ora Horton, and wife, Faye
of Sherwood, AR; brother, Robert Horton, and wife, Virginia, of
Amarillo, TX; sister, Evaline Henry and Jim Harper of LeFors, TX;
sister, Alma Wade of Oklahoma City, OK; sister-in-law, Allene
Horton of Medford, OR; nephew, Bismark Blackstock of Pampa,
TX ; along with a host of other nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Visitation will be held at Martin Mortuary on Wednesday, November
9, between 12 noon and 1:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life
Service will begin at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 9, at Martin
Mortuary. Interment will be held in Memorial Gardens Cemetery
following the funeral service.
