Chad McClanahan

"Uncle Jim had the rare ability to connect with children and take a genuine interest in them. Most adults talk to other people’s children for a minute or two and then are finished. But not Uncle Jim. Jim would go out of his way to talk to children. He had patience and the ability to shut up and listen. Every child felt special and important when talking to Jim, including my two children, Aubrey and Lennon.

I remember from a very young age the fun and the humor that Jim had. One of my earliest memories was of him showing us that he could pop his nose. He would cup both hands around his nose and then move them to the left or right, and you could hear a distinct popping sound. And the expression on his face looked like it was painful, so I felt honored that he was showing me this amazing ability. It wasn’t until years later that I realized he wasn’t really popping his nose, he was just making a popping sound with his hands over his mouth.

I also remember playing games with Uncle Jim like cards, Racko, and especially Scrabble. Jim was an excellent Scrabble player. He knew every trick and small word. He could play a few tiles and make words going both horizontal and vertical in the same move, and he never passed up an opportunity to play on a triple word score. Of all the times we played, I think I only beat him once.

When I was 14, I stayed with the Murrays for a week during the summer of 1988. It was one of the best weeks of my life. It was so different from living at home, and for one of the first times in my life I was able to have a taste of freedom and independence, and I realized that I wasn’t quite a kid anymore. While I was staying there, Jim was still my uncle, but I had to listen to him like he was my dad. He was a great guy, but when he asked you to do something, it was in your best interest to listen or experience his wrath. Jim’s wrath was intense and fiery, but it was surface wrath because it didn’t last very long.

One thing I adored about Uncle Jim was how funny and personable he was, especially in public with strangers. Ben, Nick, Jim and I went to see the M. Night Shyamalan movie The Happening in 2008. In this apocalyptic movie, people were influenced by a mysterious power to suddenly stop moving, take a few steps backwards, and then turn murderous or suicidal. It was a creepy movie. At the end of the crowded movie we got up and started leaving the theater. Jim suddenly stopped in his tracks for a long pause, took a few steps backwards, and then pulled the straw out of his giant cup and stabbed himself in the neck. I would guess about 2 dozen people watched him and we all laughed. It was great. His comedic timing was impeccable.

Last summer I was able to get Uncle Jim and my dad together for brunch at a local truck stop. They hadn’t sat down together to talk in over 30 years. The conversations we had that day were all over the place, but it was one of the best sit down casual talks I’ve ever been a part of. Our witty conversations carried on for almost two hours, then we came back to my house and Uncle Jim beat us both at Scrabble, even if you added our two scores together he would still have beaten us. I was really thankful for that day, and I’ll cherish the memory.

Jim was a great man and so many other things too: teacher, principal, Christian, friend, father, brother, son, and uncle. I will miss him tremendously, but I will also honor his memory and life lessons by passing along kindness and patience and much-needed attention to children. And I see a lot of children on a daily basis since I’m an elementary reading teacher.

Uncle Jim, Love you man!"