Joseph D. Jamison

BURLESON -- Joseph D. Jamison, 90, of Burleson, a retired soil conservationist, died Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009, at a Fort Worth hospital following a brief illness. Funeral: 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Matthews Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Burleson. Interment: Burleson Memorial Park. Memorials: In memory of Col. Joseph D. Jamison, contributions may be made to USMCR "Retired" Marine Military Academy, 320 Iwo Jima Blvd., Harlingen, Texas 78550. Attention: Development. Joe was the youngest of three sons and was born Jan. 30, 1919, in Clarksville, Red River County, to David and Virginia Moore Jamison. Joe was educated in the public school system in Clarksville, attended Paris Junior College and graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in agronomy. He played football at Paris Junior College and the University of Georgia, and remained a staunch Georgia Bulldog fan. Following his college days at Georgia, Joe enlisted in the Marines and received his commission as a second lieutenant as a member of the 12th Reserve Officer Class in Quantico, Va. He served on active duty in World War II and participated in the Pacific campaigns at Bouganville, Guam and Iwo Jima. He remained in the Marine Corps Reserve until his retirement in 1979 at the rank of colonel. Joe enjoyed staying in touch with his Marine friends and attending various reunions over the years. At the end of the war, Joe was stationed at Quantico and while spending time in Washington, D.C., he met a pretty brunette from Pennsylvania named Elizabeth Cline, and they were married in 1946. After a short time in Georgia, they moved to Texas, where Joe pursued his agriculture career, first in the Rio Grande Valley and ultimately in the Fort Worth area where Joe spent the majority of his career as a soil conservationist with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. Joe and Betty lived in Fort Worth for several years and moved to Burleson in 1960. Following his retirement in 1979, Joe enjoyed working in his garden, spending time with his grandchildren, telling war stories with his buddies at the coffee shop and simply being a good friend to scores of people in the Burleson area. Joe was a patriot, a loving husband, father and grandfather, and a man who set a good example for those who follow in his footsteps. He was preceded in death by his parents and his older brothers, Carroll and Frank. Survivors: Wife, Betty of Fort Worth; son, Pat Jamison and wife, Jenny, of Benbrook; daughter, Kim Anderson and husband, Gary, of Austin; granddaughter, Erin Terry and husband, Steve, of Irving; grandsons, Jeff Jamison and wife, Molly, of Fort Worth, Andy Jamison and wife, Allison, of Towson, Md., and Grant Anderson of Brooklyn, N.Y.