Cook still going strong after 50-plus years of service

  • Published
  • By Lee Ann Mohajerin
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) --  Before most people get out of bed in the morning, Minnie Jones is already elbow-deep in flour, faced with the daunting task of feeding thousands of employees here a hot breakfast and lunch.

It is a feat she has accomplished for more than 50 years as one of two cooks in the base restaurant. And at 76, she shows no signs of slowing down.

“I like getting up and working,” Ms. Jones said. “If I’m not working here, I’m at home mowing the yard or working the garden. I’m not one for sitting around.”

This bodes well in her line of work where the day begins at 4 a.m.

“I go straight to work on breakfast, then right on to lunch. From lunch, it’s to the serving line and then cleaning up by noon,” she said. “There (are) only two of us back there, so we work straight eights.”

More than 60 pounds each of sausage, bacon and hash browns are prepared each morning, followed by nearly 50 pounds of chicken and other main entrees. It is no easy task, but Ms. Jones said she has never shied away from hard work.

“I have worked hard since I was a child. I was about 3 when Daddy put me to work with my brothers and sisters on the farm in Dover, Okla.,” she said. “When you are raised in the country, you have to learn to do everything, even if at 3 you weren’t doing nothing but picking the cotton out of the bolls.”

Life on the farm came to a tragic end after both of her parents died suddenly, leaving her and her seven brothers and sisters to fend for themselves.

“I dropped out of high school so I could work,” she said. “I always wanted to be a teacher, but I couldn’t because my parents died, so we all had to take jobs. We were just kids you know, going through that was heart-breaking.”

Her search for steady work eventually brought her to her cousin’s house in Oklahoma City where she earned a living as a dishwasher and a waitress. She landed a cooking assistant job at Tinker in 1954, earning 57 cents an hour.

“Jobs were hard to find, and if you found a job, you tried to keep it. And you tried to go to work every day,” she said.

Ms. Jones married in 1955, but kept working to help support her growing family.

“Being poor and everything, a lot of people had to work. I worked through my second pregnancy until ... they wouldn’t let me work no more. I came back when he was 2 months old.”

After her husband died in 1975, Ms. Jones once again found herself as the family’s sole provider, this time with two boys to support. Despite the challenges of being a single mother, she rarely missed a day of work.

Timothy Griffith, base restaurant assistant manager, said he can always count on Ms. Jones.

“No matter what the weather, ice or snow, she is here every day. We almost have to force her to take a vacation,” he said. “Even better, she always comes in with a smile and a great attitude. She really cares about the people she works with and always tries to help others.”

Her propensity to care for others is not lost on her co-workers, who refer to her as Mama Minnie.

“Ain’t no finer person than Mama Minnie,” said Paula Henderson, a 16-year service line veteran. “My Minnie, she’s seen me through some rough times. She was there for me when my own mama died, and she always shows you love and gives out hugs.”

She also dishes out a little tough love.

“She’ll tell you if you’re doing wrong,” said Mattie Curtis, who has cooked side-by-side with Ms. Jones for 26 years. “She’s a great mentor. I used to be mean [and] unapproachable, and Mama Minnie ... straightened me out. I really love her; she’s special; she helped me be more positive about life.”

Ms. Jones said she leads by example, finding the positive in everything she does, including the more mundane chores in the kitchen. Asked about her least favorite task during her work day she said, “I don’t guess there is anything. I have done it all -- swept the floor, mopped the floor, washed the dishes ... and cooked the meat -- it’s all honest work, and I find something enjoyable in all of it.”

Ms. Jones admitted she has been thinking about retiring but fears she will be bored at home.

While she would like to visit her two remaining sisters and work in the garden, she said she will probably get a part-time job to keep her busy.

“I really love being around people and staying busy,” she said. “I thank God for letting me be able to work this long. I go home every day and have a very happy life.”