Jesse V. "Mr. Ornery" Cox
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D Obituary - December 13, 2020
Jesse V. Cox
(Mr. Ornery)
October 13, 1925 - December 3, 2020
At 95 he was cherished deeply
by family and friends. Jesse was
always on the run, he did not
know how to walk slowly and
lived twice the life because of
his quick steps. He was blessed
with no aches or pains, his lungs
just wore out.
Jesse was happiest when he
could pick on someone to get a laugh. He loved to play pranks but
of course did not like them played on him. So many stories have
been told through the years about Mr. Ornery, we could just about
write a book.
Blessed with an unbelievable memory, he never met a stranger;
remembering people’s names, families, where they worked and
how they met. He worked on always staying in contact with family
and friends.
Born in Cedar Grove, Missouri, Jesse was the only child to
Jesse S. Cox and Pearl Moody Cox. He grew up in Cedar Grove,
Missouri, and attended schools in Cedar Grove and Summersville,
Missouri. At the age of six a hometown newspaper article wrote
about the remarkable boy: “It was Jesse V first school and he
attended seven of the eight months, walking 2 ½ miles each way for
a total of 690 miles in the 7 months. He made 100% in reading and
had the second reader the last 3 months; 98% in spelling, addition
and subtraction. I have never seen any equal to his age.”
After graduating he joined the Army at age 18 and fought in
WWII, serving combat infantry in Europe, including the Battle of
the Bulge. Returning home in 1946, he married the love of his life,
Lorene Helton, who survives him. They left two days later heading
to California to live the dream making it as far as the Grand Valley
which they decided to call home. Together they built their current
home in Palisade in 1955. They would have been married 75 years
next July.
Jesse has a son, James Cox (LeeVon); grandchildren, James Wade
Cox (Victoria), Clay Cox (deceased), and Brett Gaines (Daniel);
great-grandchildren, Brody, Hayley and Garrett Cox, and daughter,
Linda Smith (Paul), of Grand Junction.
He worked for a number of companies, hauling coal from Cameo
to Naturita and hauling uranium back to Grand Junction (Kerr
Trucking). He became self-employed hauling Vietnam ammunition
across the country. Additionally, he worked for Corn Construction
and Grand Junction Pipe along with various others.
With a love for Blue Grass music he would often be found enjoying
a local festival or playing blues on his guitar at home.
To sum it up in his words: “I would like to back up about 60 years
and start over. I was never out of a job, did not make a lot of money
but we got by. I loved my family and many friends”.
The family thanks you for helping make his life full and special.
Viewing at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary 4 - 7:00 p.m., December
15, 2020. No services due to the virus. He will be laid to rest at
