Joe Wayne Jordan

March 24, 1946 - July 2, 2020

On Thursday, July 2, 2020, Wayne Jordan, loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, passed away peacefully at age 74. His beloved wife and three adult children were by his side as the Lord gently took him home. Wayne was born March 24th, 1946, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma to Arthur and Joan Jordan. When Wayne arrived on the scene, his daddy was in Japan. Arthur had been drafted into the U.S. Army the previous year during World War II. Wayne’s mother, Joan, was disabled due to having polio when she was a teen. Until Arthur was honorably discharged, Wayne’s Grandmother Pearl (Arthur’s mother) cared for Joan and her new little one. Baby boy was healthy and perfect, and the family was filled with pride and joy. Wayne met his daddy when he was three months old. On his first birthday, Wayne’s parents loaded up and moved to the land where rumor had it, money grew on trees – the great state of California. Joan’s family had already made the move there a few years back, so Wayne had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins ready to welcome him to this beautiful new place. Arthur soon found work on an alfalfa and green bean farm near Modesto, while Joan stayed home to manage the household. Their first home had no running water and came with an outhouse. Not ideal for a disabled Momma, but Wayne said she never complained. This is where Wayne’s life of orneriness began. He couldn’t get away with much though, because 2 years after arriving in California, his little sister Shirley was born. Wayne often thought about those days in California, where he played in the dirt, climbed over fences, rode his bike everywhere, hurt himself frequently, would sneak out of the house to go watch his dad milk cows, and crawled under the neighbor’s fence with his best bud to load up a basket with pomegranates. He paid the price for the pomegranate heist though, and lucky for him, he lived to tell the tale. When Wayne was almost 9 years old, his parents had saved their earnings and decided it was time to move back to Oklahoma. Arthur was able to buy a little farm in Scraper near the Illinois River, where he and Joan had grown up and married. Wayne spent the next 9 years helping his dad and grandpa with chores on the farm, riding his horse “Champ” all over the valley, attending Kansas Public Schools, spinning tops to impress the girls, and playing football. It was also during these years that he gave his life to the Lord at a revival near Molly Field Cemetery, just a few miles from his home. The same day, he and his Momma were baptized in the river at Buck Ford. They attended Scraper Christian Church where Howard Dillon was the pastor at the time. A couple of years later, Mr. Dillon talked Wayne into entering a “Preacher Boy” contest, which he ended up winning! Wayne could speak before crowds without fear but did not really want to be a Preacher. The Lord had other plans. As a teenager, Wayne began speaking at youth rallies and revivals. After returning from his service in Vietnam years later, he taught Sunday School at the junior high level, then the adult class soon after, which he taught for many years. Love was in the air for Wayne. This is where he fell in love with “Annie” as he lovingly called her. One Sunday at church, he invited her to ride with him to evening service. Ann accepted. Wayne had saved his money while serving in Vietnam and bought a brand-new Nordic Blue GTO when he returned home. On this particular Sunday evening, he picked up this super cute brunette from up the road in his new car and took her to church. The rest is history! Wayne and Ann were married for 52 years. In 1990, he was ordained a minister and became the Pastor at Scraper Christian Church where he served in that role for 30 years. During the latter years of his life, he wasn’t able to make it to the church building, so he and Ann began having services in their home. Wayne did not take any money for most of his tenure…but after several years, the members finally convinced him to take a very small amount. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. Wayne pastored not to make money, but because he loved his community. Going back a bit - after graduating high school in 1964, Wayne had traded his horse Champ for a ’57 Chevy and began attending classes at Northeastern State University. Two years later, it appeared likely that he would be drafted into the military and sent to Vietnam. Wayne wanted to have some say in what happened, so he chose to join the U.S Marine Corps. He was interested in their “Force Recon” program, in which he was accepted, and after finishing boot camp - went to sniper school in Hawaii and then extensive training in California. Before heading home to Oklahoma for 2 weeks of leave, Wayne took classes in Oceanside, CA and achieved his black belt in Karate. He had been taking classes while attending college in Tahlequah and dreamed of accomplishing this goal before deploying to Vietnam. He did it! The next 13 months would shape the rest of his life. Wayne saw things that no one should ever see. He experienced things that no one should ever experience. In the jungles of South Vietnam near Phu Bai, he was severely wounded by an enemy with a knife and barely survived. He also was wounded by shrapnel, and experienced other injuries, thus, several Purple Hearts were awarded to him. At times, Wayne’s squad would stay near villages and help the people there. On two separate occasions, he was asked to deliver a baby. (He said he was just there to catch the babies before they hit the ground. The Moms did all the work.) The village “midwife” was away, so the people chose him because he told them he had delivered calves before. Both babies were boys, and both mothers named their babies Joe, after him. For this, he was awarded the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. Wayne also saved lives during his time in Vietnam. During an attack just south of Khe Sanh in May of 1967 in the midst of heavy gunfire, he threw a wounded Major as well as a wounded Life Magazine journalist onto a medevac helicopter which transported them to the nearest medical facility. Both were shot, and both survived because of Wayne’s heroic act. He was awarded two Silver Stars. There are too many stories to tell here, but it should also be mentioned that Wayne was designated as a bodyguard during his time in Vietnam. Among those he guarded? President Johnson, and Ann Margaret! Wayne returned home from War in 1968, picked up his brand-new GTO, and couldn’t wait to arrive home and see his momma, daddy, and sister. What a sight for sore eyes he was to all those who loved him. He fell in love with Annie, got married, went to college for two more years, started a family, went into the dairy business with his dad and in 1980 sold a milk cow for $100,000. Wayne sold the dairy business, and soon after, he bought about 100 beef cattle, raised three children with his wife Ann, and quietly lived out his days in the same community where he was born. He dearly loved his family and his little cattle farm. A few of the things Wayne did in his spare time was join a bowling league, earn his real estate license, taught himself how to troubleshoot and fix computers, and performed several weddings and funerals. He enjoyed old westerns, absolutely loved sports at every level, loved to tell stories, had a warm smile, and an infectious laugh. He will be greatly missed. Wayne was preceded in death by his father, Arthur, his mother, Joan, and his sister, Shirley. He is survived by his wife Ann, his three children – Carol, Phil, and David, his five grandchildren – Tyler, Lauren, Trey, Kelton, and Khloe, his three great-grandchildren – Bennett, Kennedy, and Elliot, his Uncle Frank, and several nephews, nieces and cousins. Memorial services are pending and will be announced at a later time. An outdoor memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 26th at 2pm at Round Hollow Park near Scraper, Oklahoma. All friends and family are welcome. Wayne’s family asks that everyone bring their own lawn chairs and maintain social distancing during the service. Please also check current CDC guidelines before attending.