Joe Harris Scales

Joe Harris Scales passed peacefully into the Arms of Jesus on November 17, 2015, following his battle with pneumonia and related complications.  Joe was born in Crowell, Texas, to parents, Ebb and Grace Scales, on June 3, 1929, during the Great Depression.  The son of the only registered Republican in Foard County, a strong work-ethic, conservative values, and love of America and it's Constitution, was the mantra of Joe his entire life!

In 1950, while working on a drilling rig in North Dakota, Joe received a draft notice from the US Army, and within hours he reported to the induction center in Fargo. In just a few months, Joe had completed his Basic Training at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, and quickly rose in rank to Sergeant! Consequently, near the end of 1950, due to his  superior leadership abilities, he was chosen to attend the OCS (Officer Candidate School) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma! Not long after his graduation from OCS, 2nd Lieutenant Scales was deployed to Pusan, Korea, and for the next 1-l/2 years served as a front-line observer, along with his troops, on the battlefields of Korea.  In 1952, the Korean War ended, and Lt. Scales returned to the USA. (Joe has always refused to call it a "Conflict"! He simply says, "Only the ones who never [personally] fought, call it a "Conflict"!  But ask those who fought, and they ALL will call it the Korean WAR!)

Within weeks, after mustering out in El Paso, Joe had not only enrolled at Texas Western College (now UTEP), but was working full-time at nights for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Before being sent to Korea, Joe had attended Texas Tech in Lubbock, so 3-years after Joe started classes at Texas Western College, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology! His career as a geologist began with Pure Oil Company in Houston.  After a few years with Pure Oil - Houston, Joe (along with his family) relocated to Roswell, New Mexico. When Pure Oil sold, Joe went to work for Conoco in Midland.  In 1967 he was transferred to Conoco"s regional office in Corpus Christi. Shortly after his transfer to Corpus Christi, he moved his family to Portland. During his tenure with Conoco in Corpus Christi, Joe was sent to Colombia, and for 2-years he oversaw the construction of a road, an airstrip, and the drilling of 2-wells in the jungle near the base of the Andes! Soon after returning from Colombia, Joe was told that Conoco was transferring him back to Houston.  Not wanting to move back to Houston, and especially not wanting to uproot his family, who absolutely loved Portland, Joe resigned.  Word travels fast in the "oilfield", and almost overnight Joe was recruited by a New York-based oil & gas exploration company, Geo Dynamics.  For the next several years, Joe was responsible for the exploration, drilling, and production of oil & gas wells from the Gulf of Mexico to Calgary, Canada.  When Geo-Dynamics sold in 1974, Joe, utilizing his years of experience and knowledge, started his own company, American-Delta Corporation, followed soon by Texas Western Energy Corporation.  That was 41-years ago!  There's been countless successes over these years, and countless changes!  Even after Joe retired two years ago, Texas Western continues as the parent-company of Seaside Motel & Condominiums in Port Aransas, a property Texas Western Energy purchased in 1994.  Joe's secretary of 31 years, Pamelia Hunter-Purdum, continues to run the Portland office of Texas Western Energy!

Joe's daughter Suzie writes, "My dad was an avid reader, and an awesome story teller!  In fact, he could tell a story, or joke, like no one else!  For those of you that knew him, I'm sure you are shaking your head and smiling!  Providing for our family...ensuring for our safety and security...were the top priorities of my dad! All these qualities and priorities were the true essence of Joe Scales!"

In 1994, when Joe proposed to Kedren Jordan, he said, "Marry me, darlin', and I promise to show you the world!"  Keeping his promise, Joe and Kedren have traveled the world together!  They have traveled to all seven continents, and were in the process of planning their next trip right before Joe contracted pneumonia.

Joe's "Journey with Jesus" began when he accepted Jesus as his Savior on June 4, 2011, just 1-day after his 82nd birthday! After retiring 2-years ago, he began attending a group Bible study that his wife, Kedren, has taught for 15-years!  Joe was so excited they had recently found a "new church family" at the Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Portland!

Joe was preceded in death by his father, Ebb Scales; his mother, Grace Scales; his sister, Jeane Fress; and his son, Steven Harris Scales.

Joe is survived by his wife, Kedren Scales; daughter, Sabra Scales Roberts (Roger); daughter, Suzie Wilder-Richardson (Tommy); step-son, Jerry Godsey; four grandchildren, Traysa Roberts-Wykoff, Ezekiel Jeremiah Roberts, Reid Wilder, and Regan Wilder; and great-granddaughters, Olivia Wilder and Anastasya Wykoff.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday November 19, 2015, at the Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 2100 Buddy Ganam Road in Portland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, 214 Massachusetts Avenue N.E., Washington, DC 20002.