On Monday, August 2, 2021, James “Jim” Jehu Stark III passed away at the age of 68. He was born to James and Geneva Stark on October 13, 1952, in Kankakee, Illinois.
He spent his childhood making mischief, terrorizing his siblings, and catching fish. Though he dropped out of high school, it didn’t stop him from learning. He passed his GED, and went on to complete an Associates in Early Education, a Bachelor’s degree in Deaf Interpretation and ASL, and a Masters in Counseling from East Central University in Ada. Jim had a passion for helping others. He worked as an interpreter for the deaf and then worked for more than 25 years at the South Oklahoma Regional Center with mentally handicapped. He also led sobriety support groups at LoveLink Ministries and truly enjoyed the relationships that he developed. For Jim, work was about relationship and helping others. Jim loved his family, Oklahoma sports, crime shows and fishing. His sarcastic sense of humor was both well-known and often under-appreciated by his family and friends.
Jim was preceded in death by his father, James Jehu Stark, Jr.
He will be greatly missed by his wife Lisa; his children, Amy Stark and her daughter, Grace, Michael McKay and his children, Kailee and Cody, Sarah Stark Rich and her children, Hannah and Eli; his mother, Geneva Stark; and siblings, Peggy Stark-Wilson and husband Roger Wilson, Marilyn Stark, Stephen Stark and wife Dayna; as well as nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Memorial services will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. at Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 3100 N. Rockwell, Bethany, Oklahoma under the direction of Mercer-Adams Funeral Service, Bethany. Casual dress is encouraged. To share a memory or condolence, visit www.mercer-adams.com.
