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In the early hours of October 2nd, James M. Elmore passed from this world and moved on to his next journey. He leaves many behind to mourn him including his older son Jeff and his wife Suzie; his younger son Jonathan and his wife Flora; his grandkids Tyler, Joshua, and Audry; step-grandkids Joshua and Joel; three great-grandchildren and 3 step-great-grandchildren. He will also be missed by the countless family and friends who had a chance to know him.
Jim was born in a farmhouse outside Burrton, Kansas, in 1942. When he graduated high school, he joined the Navy, where he fulfilled his dream of going to Japan. In 1964, he married his sweetheart, Twila, and they moved to San Diego so he could finish out his time in the military.
The two lovebirds moved back to Kansas where their two sons were born. Looking for rewarding work, Jim moved his family to Drummond, Oklahoma, where they lived until he retired from the Rodman Natural Gas plant. Twila also retired from her job, so they went to live by their long-time friends the Hillshafers near the shores of Grand Lake O' the Cherokees.
On the 2nd day of 2021, his love, Twila, passed away, and his health declined quickly. He moved to Oklahoma City to live the remainder of his life with Jonathan and Flora. In his life, Jim became an adept photographer, taking pictures of wildlife, landscapes, seascapes, sports, high school proms, and portraits. In 1997, he volunteered to be the photographic documentarian on an ECR public medical assistance program in Vietnam. Many amazing photograph and friendships resulted from that trip.
Jim was an avid reader, loving everything from cowboy tales to spy thrillers. He was also vigilant about reading the obituaries of family, friends, and celebrities. He would often say, "Why don't they say how they died? I need to know!" Well, as an honor to his queries, Jim died from complications of multiple myelomas due to contact with agent orange on the Saigon River during the initial build-up of the Vietnam War. It's impossible to sum up the vast life of a great man in just one little obit, but I hope you have a glimpse of his meaningful life. Now he's enjoying his afterlife with Twila on a tropical beach somewhere, she drinking a cherry margarita and he sipping an ice cold Sopporo.
If you would like to honor Jim, instead of sending flowers please make a donation in his name to Engaging Christian Response at ECRUS.org.
There will be a private memorial service at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma.
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