Funeral service for J. M.

Cope, age 98, of Frederick, Oklahoma, will be 10:00 a.m., Friday, December 29, 2023, at the First Baptist Church, 201 East Gladstone, Frederick, Oklahoma, with Rev. Les Banks officiating. Burial with Military Honors will follow at 2:00 p.m. at the Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin, Oklahoma. Services are under the direction of Jackson Funeral Home. Mr.

Cope passed away Tuesday, December 19, 2023, at the English Village Manor in Altus, Oklahoma.

Jones M. Cope was born on December 12, 1925, in Manitou, Oklahoma, to Jones Robert and Beulah Mae (Byrum) Cope. He attended Manitou Public Schools, graduating with the Class of 1944. He was drafted into the United States Army and served during World War II. For his service, he was the recipient of the Purple Heart. He was wounded in Japan while serving his country. He also was awarded three Bronze Stars, Good Conduct Medal, and Oversees Service Bars.

J.M. married Billie Marie Clark on March 22, 1947, in Billie’s grandparents’ home, which was also where she was born. J.M. and Billie made their home two blocks from there, and it remained their home for seventy-six years. When J.M. returned from the war, he started working for T. P. Byrum at the dry cleaners. He eventually purchased his own dry-cleaning business in Snyder and renamed it as Cope’s Cleaners. J.M. loved every minute of his work and never missed a day.

Back in the late 1980s, Pam Johnson made a call to J.M. asking him to be Santa Claus for a couple of Christmas events she was planning. The rest is history!

The first Saturday in December, “Breakfast with Santa” was always a special day for J.M. A line of kids would be waiting to sit on “Santa’s” lap to confide in him. He loved that, and it was a great joy for him to interact with the children. He was in every Frederick parade riding on the Frederick fire truck.

The firemen even made him a stand to help him get up on the truck. He was Santa for over thirty years!

After J.M. and Billie were married in March of 1947, they joined the First Baptist Church in Frederick, in April of that year. He had always been a member there for seventy-six years.

J.M. is survived by his wife Billie of the home; two sons, John Cope and his wife Anna of Frederick, Oklahoma, and Joey Cope and his wife Fran of Fort Meyers, Florida; six grandchildren, Ty and his wife Kayla Cope of Weatherford, Texas, Judith Cope of Edmond, Oklahoma, Jade Bennight and her husband Jeremy of Edmond, Oklahoma, Joshua Cope and his wife Donna of Fort Rucker, Alabama, Jacob Cope and his wife Sunnye of Tipton, Oklahoma, and Jeremy Cope and his wife Angie of Tipton, Oklahoma; eight great-grandchildren, Allison Johns Jimeson, Jolie Bennight, Jack Bennight, Joy Flores and her husband Josh, Jill Foxhoven and her husband Trace, Jordyn Cope, Jocelyn Cope, and Jaxon Cope; one great great-grandchild, Melody Jane Flores; and one sister, Mary Brake of Wichita Falls , Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Jones and Beulah; son, Jackie Cope; a sister, Melvina Cope; and two brothers, Jones Robert Cope and Charles Cope.

Memorial donations may be given to the Frederick Arts & Humanities Council Breakfast with Santa or the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516, www.woundedwarriorproject.