Marvin D. Jirous

1935 - 2024

Marvin Jirous, 88, passed from this earth peacefully on April 18, 2024. With deep family roots in Perry, Ok, he built a successful career as an entrepreneur and business leader known for hard work, natural ability, and a capacity for building friendships that would last a lifetime.

As a teenager he had a newspaper route in the mornings and worked in a grocery store week nights and weekends. After he graduated from high school in 1953, Marvin worked at a grocery store in Ponca City for two years but returned to Perry and married Barbara Milliron, who became his lifetime partner. Together, they built and managed a Dairy Boy in Fairview, OK. While they were running the Dairy Boy, they met a super salesman named Charlie Pappe, a native of Kingfisher and resident of Woodward who had recently created a partnership with Troy Smith, the founder of a little chain of drive-in restaurants called Top Hat.

A year earlier, they had renamed their fledgling enterprise Sonic, “Service with the Speed of Sound.” Charlie, impressed with the Dairy Boy operation, asked Marvin and Barbara if they would like to be partners with him to open a new Sonic. In 1960, convinced that Charlie was opening a door to a brighter future, they said yes. Two years later he and Barbara opened their first Sonic in Alva, Oklahoma. Marvin and Barbara worked most days for the next two years to keep labor costs low and learned every aspect of running a drive-in.

In 1964, determined to grow their budding business, Marvin and Barbara hired Danny Winters who became a part owner of the Alva Drive-In and with whom the Jirous and Winters families would later partner to grow what is now one of the largest Sonic franchisee groups in the Sonic Drive-In system.

Within three years, Marvin and Barbara had part ownership in six Sonics. Then, tragedy struck. Charlie Pappe, at the age of 51, died from a massive heart attack. Losing his mentor and good friend was a staggering blow, but Marvin was sustained by his ability to make friends and earn trust from those around him. That earned trust opened new doors of opportunity. One of Marvin’s best friends for life was Matt Kinslow, a native of Seminole County who had been recruited to the Sonic family by Charlie Pappe. In 1967 the founder of Sonic, Troy Smith, asked Marvin and Matt if they would join him at company headquarters to run Sonic Supply. Troy would select franchisees, while Marvin and Matt would manage the equipment packages and do the training for each new drive-in.

For the next several years, when working his partner’s day off, Marvin spent Mondays in Alva, Tuesdays in Blackwell, Wednesdays in Ponca City, and Thursdays through Sundays traveling across western Oklahoma supervising installations and training.

Through their hand-shake agreement, Marvin, Matt, and Troy struggled to keep up with demand for new driveins. The openings increased from 5 in 1968 to 9 in 1969, 16 in 1971, and 28 in 1972. In 1973, as the demand for Sonics grew, all agreed a new corporate structure was needed. The result was the creation of Sonic Industries, which included five company- owned drive-ins, the equipment operation, and ownership of the franchising operation. Troy Smith, the largest shareholder, would be chairman of the board. Marvin, the entrepreneur from Perry, would be president. From 1973 to 1980, Marvin served as president of the fastest growing quick service restaurant chain in the nation. At the heart of that expansion was the option book, where decisions were made about who got a franchise and where it would be located. Marvin was the keeper of the option book.

Their success gained national attention. The pace of expansion quickened from 28 new Sonics in 1972 to 201 in 1973, 274 in 1974, 406 in 1975, and 653 in 1976. By 1978 there were more than 1,000 Sonics scattered across 20 states, while corporate income soared from $246,700 in 1974 to $17.3 million in 1977. In 1978 the Sonic board of directors approved a three-to-one stock split.

This “Sonic boom” ended only when a national recession compounded by high interest rates and a gasoline shortage rocked the industry. Marvin stepped down as president to rescue his own Sonics. Free from his duties as president, Marvin focused on expanding his own drive-in network while looking for investment opportunities.

From 1962 to 1967, Marvin and Barbara had invested in six Sonics scattered from Alva to Arkadelphia, which was run by their daughter Jeanette Jirous. While serving as president of Sonic Industries, they created new partnerships and opened another dozen or more drive-ins. Ultimately, the number of Sonics they either owned or were associated with grew to 85. Initially, the business model usually included one partner who owned the building, one partner who raised the funds to buy the equipment and franchise, and one partner who served as manager. All shared in the profits.

In 1990, their son Jay entered the business and quickly rose from trainee to managing a drive-in. In 2019, with Thomas Collins as attorney and partner, Jay opened another new Sonic on the far northwest side of Oklahoma City. Like many farm kids, Marvin and Barbara never lost their love of the land. The family still owns the family farm southeast of Perry, and they have bought several more farms, including one near Ames, Oklahoma, where drillers found an extension of the Ames Hole, the famous field discovered by Harold Hamm.

Other entrepreneurial ventures include a string of banks later sold to BancFirst Bank. He and Barbara have shared their good fortune over the years. They have sponsored a number of exhibits at the Oklahoma History Center, including “Crossroads of Commerce” and “Launch to Landing: Oklahomans in Space.” They also have enjoyed giving to OETA, where they are regularly thanked on air for being “Producers.”

With major gifts, they served as founding partners of the Perry Alumni Association. There is one other good cause they regularly support. It is the Cherokee Strip Museum in Perry, dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the story where their story started.

As with other Perry pioneers, their legacy is never far from home. Marvin is survived by his wife of 65 years, Barbara Jirous, his son, Jay Jirous and partner Kelly Orr, daughter, Jeanette Jirous, all of Oklahoma City, along with numerous nieces and nephews, along with countless partners and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charley Carl and Anna (Palovik) Jirous; his brother, Eugene Charles Jirous; and his sister, Arlene Swartz.

Viewing will be from 11:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m.Wednesday, April 24th at Vondel Smith Mortuary North, 13125 N. MacArthur Blvd.

A private family service will be held. Marvin will be laid to rest in the Grace Hill Cemetery in Perry, OK.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the charity of one’s choice.