Jim Waugh, 66, passed from this life into the arms of the Lord, on Thursday March 8, 2018 at 7:40 pm, surrounded by loving family and friends.
Jim was born July 10, 1951 in La Grande, Oregon, to Victor and Maxine Waugh. At the age of 6, Jim lost his mother and he and his father moved to Belle Plaine, Kansas, to live with grandparents.
Jim graduated High School in Belle Plaine and attended his first year of college at Allen County Community College, where he met his future wife. After a year at The University of Kansas, he completed his degree in Chemical Engineering at Pittsburg State University.
In 1982, Jim began work at EOM, a Division of Eagle Picher, as an Analytical Chemist. He subsequently moved to the Miami, Oklahoma division in 1989 as the Analytical Lab Supervisor. In 1996, Jim was placed in charge of Germanium Wafer, which power satellites. In that capacity, he was fortunate to meet astronauts, Janet Kavandi and Neil Armstrong. In 2001, he was appointed the Managing Director of Boron and in 2010, Jim became the Director of Nuclear and Semiconductor Products with Isoflex. His career allowed frequent travels to Europe and Asia, meeting interesting people and working with brilliant minds. Jim’s compassion for people extended not only to friends and family but to the workplace. Once asked about the greatest accomplishment in his career, he remarked, that it wasn’t the amazing places he got to travel to or the people he met but rather the challenge of trying to run the business well enough to prevent layoffs.
Jim married the love of his life, Martha Applegate on May 29, 1976 in Iola, Kansas. Their life was complete with the birth of two sons, Matt and Andy. They were blessed to be able to celebrate their 41st Anniversary in May.
His joy in life was spending time with family. He adored his six grandchildren and always made sure each one had individual quality time with papa. The highlight of his week was taking his grandchildren to Saturday brunch and having Sunday dinners after church with family.
Jim was a faithful member of the First United Methodist Church and Saint Paul’s Methodist Church of Joplin.
10 years ago, Jim fought his first battle with cancer and his wife Martha often speaks of the 3,566 precious days in which they have experienced love, grandchildren, travel, family time, work and all the normal day to day experiences that we sometimes take for granted. They were grateful for every minute of those 3,566 days. First came God, then family, then friends, of which there were many, and then work. He certainly knew his priorities and lived a life of integrity and humility.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Maxine Waugh, a brother Dick, and a sister Becky.
He is survived by his beloved wife Martha, a son, Matt, and wife Ashley of Joplin, a son, Andy, and wife Michelle of Washington, D.C. and six grandchildren, Grace, Beckham, Griffin, Paxton, Jack and Ruby, all of Joplin. Additional survivors are a brother, Joe Waugh, and wife Sally of Derby, Kansas, a brother Patrick Waugh, and wife Janet of Denver, Colorado, and a sister Debbie Bailey, and husband Don of Washington, D.C.
Jim possessed the enviable ability to neither dwell on the past nor worry of the future. He lived in the joy of the moment. In typical Jim Waugh fashion, his last days were full of laughter and reminiscing with a rich harvest of family, friends, and coworkers. His spirit of joy, grace and calm was a strong testimony and an inspiration to all. Only Jim and his God could have written the last chapter of this journey so eloquently. A hospice Chaplain once said, “You die on one day, during one moment, of one day. All the rest is living”. For Jim, his life was richly lived, with no regrets.
A Memorial Service will be held Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 1 p.m. at Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, Joplin, Missouri. Graveside services in Belle Plaine, Kansas at a later date. Family will receive friends Wednesday, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the mortuary. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church, Joplin, Missouri
Arrangements are under the direction of Parker Mortuary
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