Jim McIlvaine

(From Clark Funeral Home)

May 11, 1938 - June 10, 2024

James William McIlvaine, Sr., of Neosho, passed away on June 10th, after three years of declining health. He was born in a log cabin on the family farm north of Neosho. His parents were James M. and Goldie McIlvaine. He accepted Christ as his Savior as a young man attending the Northside Baptist Church of Neosho.

 
Jim graduated from Neosho High School with the class of 1956. He was always a hard worker, starting out with some of his buddies as newspaper carriers on their bicycles for the Neosho Daily News and then the Joplin Globe. He told fond memories of their adventures and trials of cold winters and hot summers on the hills in Neosho until he was able to purchase his first car.

He was employed at Rocketdyne and Teledyne in the blueprint department. Then he enjoyed working at Autotronics in Joplin, before he started what would become a 30 year long job in the frame department at La-Z-Boy Midwest. He retired in February 2001. 

Jim enjoyed classic cars and restored a 55 Ford pickup and had started a 50 Chevy car. He owned a few cars that he looked back and wished he had kept that would later become classics. He was a country music fan and played the guitar. He loved the horses he had owned through the years, our Husky and Corgi dogs and several special cats who chose him as their favorite human. 

Jim worked on several home building projects and liked creating woodworking projects like toy boxes, shelves, etc. for his kids and grandkids and too many to count for his wife! 

He married Hattie Hainline on July 26, 1963, and raised a son and three daughters, James Jr. and wife, Roxanne of Kansas City, Missouri, Kelly Oxendine, Penni Wright and husband, Erik and Dawn Speak and husband, Jeff, all of Neosho. He had six grandsons and two granddaughters and twelve great grandchildren. He spent many hours hauling them around in a wagon and trying to teach them how to play guitar or going to their T-ball, baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball and watching their cheerleading and rodeo events.

 

Jim had two sisters, Patty Lauderdale and Phyllis Sigars of Neosho and three nephews, Everett Lauderdale and wife, Teresa, Jim Lauderdale and Calvin Sigars and wife, Jenny. He is preceded in death by two nephews, Robert and Tom Lauderdale, as well as his parents, James and Goldie McIlvaine, parents-in-law, Raymond and Eva Hainline and a sister-in-law, Jean Dodson.

James chose to be cremated and there will be a Memorial Service on June 17, 2024 at 2:00 pm, with visitation prior to the service from 12:30 until 2 pm. Officiating will be Steve Eggert. A private burial will be held at the Belfast Cemetery, west of Neosho. Contributions in memory of James may be made to Faithful Friends, c/o Clark Funeral Home, Neosho.