Joe Anson

Funeral services for Joseph William Anson, 87, of Seminole, are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Father Basil Keenan will officiate, assisted by Father Don Wolf of Shawnee. Burial will follow in Rest Haven Cemetery, Seminole, under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home.rnrnA rosary service is planned for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Swearingen Chapel.rnrnAnson died Saturday evening, March 28, 2009, at Seminole Estates Nursing Home with his wife of 66 years at his bedside, as well as nearly his entire family of 18 children, their spouses, 62 grandchildren and 67 great-grandchildren.rnrnHe was born Oct. 25, 1921, in Perry, Okla., to Ella Mary (Burns) and Adoris Jasper Anson. He graduated from Seminole High School in 1941 and lived nearly all his life in Seminole County.rnrnAnson served for a short time in the U.S. Army before making his career in the oilfield. He learned the business from the ground up, working as a roustabout and pumper before opening his own company, Anson Production Service. He was also an independent oil producer. His vast knowledge of the oil industry made him a respected and valuable resource and consultant to others in the field.rnrnAlthough he loved the oilfield, and in fact went with his son to check wells every day as long as he was able, the real love of Anson?s life was his wife and family. He married his high school sweetheart, Velma Louise Ivey, on his 21st birthday, Oct. 25, 1942, in Seminole. Together they raised 18 children, giving each one a firm foundation of love, faith and education. The children attended New Lima School, where Anson served on the Board of Education for more than 30 years. The couple also offered help to attend colleges and universities to all their children who chose to go. Many of them instead chose to follow their father into the oilfield.rnrnThe three things dearest to Anson?s heart were his family, his church and his career. Although he was born and baptized in Perry, Anson began attending mass in Seminole before there was a proper church. He told of attending mass in the home of Rose Connelly Barrett in 1927, about the time the Benedictine priests of Sacred Heart first began their mission in Seminole. Masses were offered in homes, feed stores and city hall until Immaculate Conception Catholic Church was built in 1938. Anson was in large part responsible for the building of the present church on Wrangler Boulevard. Anson served on the church?s Parish Council for many years and was the last of the founding members of Immaculate Conception.rnrnrnThrough his long life, Anson was a man of strong moral convictions, raising his family in the church, and supporting the church and his family even through tough economic periods. He was charitable with his time and his money, giving generously to causes and people. He was a man strong enough to raise 18 children in the hard-scrabble Seminole oilfield, and gentle enough to cry when the band played ?You Are My Sunshine? to his wife.rnrnHe leaves behind to cherish his memory, his wife, Velma, of the home; 11 daughters and their spouses, Linda and Ross Donnelly of Apex, N.C.; Kathleen and Buddy Heard of Wewoka; Doris and Loyd Perry of Pink; Sue and Tom Wolf of Newkirk; Pam and Jim Browning of Irving, Texas; Patricia and Tom Moore, Mary Black, Teresa and Ronney Dice, Annie and Billy Gillespie, Priscilla Freeman, and Lisa and Pat Lee, all of Seminole; seven sons and their spouses, David Anson of Wetumka; Joe Anson Jr. and wife Rebecca, Chris and Teresa Anson, Jerry and Karen Anson, Robert and Terry Anson, and Danny and Kim Anson, all of Seminole; and Thomas Edward Anson, of the home.rnrnIn addition, survivors include 62 grandchildren, 67 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild, through whom his strength and generosity will live on.rnrnHe was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Kenny, Woodrow and John Anson; three sisters, Bessie Enochs, Opal Selfridge and Alice Anson; and two grandchildren, Jennifer Gillespie and Richard Heard.rnrnPallbearers will be his six oldest grandsons, Jonathan Anson, Christopher Anson Jr., Warren Heard, Brian Heard, Travis Gillespie and Andrew Heard.rnrnHonorary pallbearers include Leonard and Bob Enochs, Bryce Hill, Joe Tolbert, Pat Barrett and David Anson.rnrnMemorial contributions may be sent to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for diabetic research, 825 NE 13th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73104-9930; or to St. Jude?s Children?s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude?s Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.rnrnrn Funeral Information: April 1, 2009, 2:00 AM