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IN LOVING MEMORY OF Noah (Jim) James Wilson
Noah (Jim)
James Wilson
April 12, 1941 – October 12, 2017
Noah (Jim) James Wilson's Obituary
Dr. Noah James Wilson, age 76, of Kingston, OK, left this earth on Thursday, October 12, 2017 for a new and better life after having battled Parkinson's for almost twenty years. N.J., the name everyone called him while growing up, was born on April 12, 1941 at his home place in Senath, Mo. to Cecil X. and Velma Sylvia (Hall) Wilson. He grew up on a Southeast Missouri family farm where he spent many...what seemed like endless hours...working in the fields chopping and picking cotton...which probably became his main motivation to pursue a college education. N.J. was quite accident prone...and his mother always said that he probably wouldn't live long enough to reach adulthood. As a matter of fact, he nearly poked out his sister's eye with a fishing pole, jammed a stick down his own tonsils, and even rode his bicycle off the front porch. Also, one of the things he loved more than anything was chewing gum. As disgusting as it might sound, rather than wasting his chewed gum, he would usually place it on the bedpost or stick the wad behind his ear so he could save it for later. N.J. absolutely loved sports...and was a huge fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. While in high school, he played on both the basketball and baseball teams...as well as the Harding College baseball team some years later...and had even aspired to one day become a Major League Baseball pitcher, but he unfortunately blew out his arm, so that was pretty much the end of his childhood dream. In 1958, N.J. graduated from Senath-Hornersville High School. Several months later, he attended Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas where he earned a BA in History. During his Senior year at Harding, he met Anna Mooney. Actually, Anna first noticed him at church services...and then proceeded to stalk him all over campus until she found a way to ask him to her social club banquet. Only after carefully checking his social calendar, did he agree to go. After that one date, Anna knew...without a doubt...that N.J. was the man she was going to marry...even if he didn't quite know it just yet. Within two years, they were married on August 30, 1964 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Before getting married, N.J., earned his MA at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. After the wedding, both he and his new bride headed to Jacksonville, Florida to begin their new careers teaching in the public school system. After having lived in Jacksonville one year and through one hurricane, they decided to move back to Jonesboro. N.J. then got a job teaching History classes at Crowley's Ridge College in Paragould, Arkansas...while also holding down a part-time position as minister at Bethel Church of Christ. In 1968, he and Anna then moved to Norman, Oklahoma so that he could pursue a doctor's degree at OU. It was in 1969, that he started teaching classes at Oklahoma Christian College...and eventually earned his PHD in 1974 from OU. That same year, he became chairman of the Social Studies Department at OC...while teaching classes having 250 plus students. Two of his most popular classes were American Heritage and American Government. He made a special effort to memorize every single name in all of his classes...and to prove his point, he would occasionally call out the name of each student row by row. He also found a way to make teaching fun...not only for himself, but also for his students. What OC student would ever fail to remember "Oh, the land...the land!" or his famous Burr-Hamilton duel reenactment? Not only was he active as a History teacher, but he was also very much involved in church work at the Wilshire Church of Christ. N.J. or rather Jim, was very instrumental in growing the college education program at Wilshire...and before long, two buses full of college students were being transported from OC to Wilshire every week. He also worked with his good friend, Raymond Kelcy on various projects...and would even preach a sermon on occasion. One of his most memorable sermons was "Balaam's Donkey" which he preached on Mother's Day. By 1981, Jim served as an Elder at Wilshire and remained so for about twenty-five years. He also loved to fish at Lake Texoma...especially with his father-in-law, R.J. Mooney. One time, while attempting to load the fishing boat on to the trailer, both of them managed to sink an entire car in the lake...with only the car antenna sticking up above the water. Another favorite pastime of Jim's was the infamous basketball noon league at Oklahoma Christian...and his role as "The Commissioner". Several teachers, which included Elmo Hall, were notorious for playing rough...with an occasional elbow to the eye...and one time, Jim even managed to break a player's nose. Jim eventually became Dean of Liberal Arts at OC in 1997...relinquishing his position to John Maple as department chair. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's, Jim decided to retire in 2002. Jim received two awards: Gaylord Chair for Distinguished Teacher and OC Master Teacher Hall of Fame. In 2005, Jim and Anna sold their house in Edmond and moved to Lake Texoma where he lived the rest of his retirement years. Having been a sports enthusiast for so long, Jim also loved to go to his grandkids, Kayton and Kinley's sporting events...watching them play basketball and soccer. Jim is preceded in death by his father Cecil X. Wilson, mother Sylvia Wilson, sister Mary Julia Wilson, and sister Cecil Joyce Wille. He is survived by wife Anna Wilson, daughter Jimieanne Kite (Dan), granddaughters Kayton and Kinley Kite, brother Ike Wilson, uncle Jimmy Ralph Hall (Earlene), niece Lisa Riddle (Rick), and nephew Jim Wille (Charla). Services will be held at the Wilshire Church of Christ in Oklahoma City
on Thursday, October 19, 2017
at 10:00a.m. with Watts Funeral Home of Madill, OK making arrangements. Visitation will be at Baggerley Funeral Home, 930 S. Broadway, Edmond, OK
on Wednesday, October 18, 2017 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Memorials can be sent to the African Mission Fund, Wilshire Church of Christ,
400 E. Wilshire, Oklahoma City, OK 73105
or to The Building Fund at the Madill Church of Christ,
P.O. Box 88, Madill, OK 73446
.
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Funeral Services for Noah (Jim) James Wilson
Visitation
October
15
Watts Funeral Home, Madill, Oklahoma
12:00 - 9:00 pm
Family Hour
October
15
Watts Funeral Home, Madill, Oklahoma
5:00 - 6:00 pm
Funeral Service
October
19
Wilshire Church of Christ
Starts at 10:00 am
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