John Ross Halford
March 2, 1935 - April 17, 2020

John Ross Halford was born in 1935 in Greer County, Oklahoma. His parents were John and Clara Halford.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce of 65 years, two daughters, Sherie Nickles and Sue Good, their husbands< Kim Nickles and Joe Good, Four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
John graduated from Mangum High School in 1953; from the University of Oklahoma in 1958 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. He entered the U. S. Army in 1959. He served in Okinawa, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia in addition to several stateside assignments, including Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, Ft. Knox, Kentucky, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, Ft. Bliss, Texas and Ft. Lee, Virginia.

Among the medals he received were The Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star, and the Meritorious Service Medal. He retired as a Major after 20 years of service in 1980. John received his Maters degree in Public Administration in 1980. He then worked for Texas Instruments, Advanced Micro Devices; obtained his Realtors license and Insurance license; was a real estate instructor at Austin Community College for 10 years; operated his own insurance agency and retired from that in 2000.

John accepted Christ at an early age and always held firm in his faith. He was ordained as a deacon in 1973 at First Baptist Church in Aberdeen, Maryland; served as Chairman on the Deacon Board in 1974 and served in many church activities. John served as a volunteer at the Baptist Chapel (Angel House) for the homeless in downtown Austin for approximately 20 years which included making soup 5 days a week.

John's family always felt his great love for them and are so thankful he was husband, father, grandfather, and good friend to them. John and Joyce's parents knew each other before they were married, so John and Joyce knew one another from an early age. They grew up on adjacent farms in Oklahoma and rode the same school bus. The decided in the 7th grade that they would be married to each other when they were grown. They then, were married when they both were 20 years of age for 65 years together.

Due to the local restrictions that have been placed on public gatherings, Harrell Funeral Home will also have the service broadcasted on Facebook Live. Please join the family as they celebrate and honor John by going to the Service details for John and push the button "click here for livestream" to join the service on the Harrell Facebook page.

In addition, we also encourage you to show support by joining the "Hugs from Home" program where your message will be given to the family during the service to remind them of your love and support for them. Go to www.harrellfuneralhomes.com/hugs-from-home/ to send a hug for John.

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