|
| |
James "Jim" Loren Streck, of Marshall, died on Nov. 15, 2020, at St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Enid. He was 76.
Jim was born in Enid on July 7, 1944, to Virgil and Eleanor (Masemore) Streck. He grew up on the family farm in Carrier, where he helped raise wheat, corn, cattle and, along with his four siblings, made more mischief than he would care to admit.
He graduated in 1962 from Carrier High School, where he was a gifted baseball pitcher with a mean curveball and his younger brother, Jerry, behind home plate as the catcher. Jim played baseball while studying to become a diesel mechanic at Oklahoma State University of Technical Training in Okmulgee. His skill on the baseball diamond attracted the attention of professional scouts, but he ultimately decided to pursue a career in farming and mechanics over sports.
In October 1964, Jim went on a double date to the movie theater with a petite brunette named Jackie Beeby. He proposed on Valentine's Day, and they were married on her 21st birthday, Aug. 26, 1965, at her parents' house in Marshall.
They were married 55 years and raised four children: Connie, Shelli, Todd, and Misty.
Jim instilled in his children the value of hard work, leading by example: He worked 365 days a year.
In the summers, the Streck family did custom harvesting, traveling south to Texas and north to Montana, near the Canadian border, to cut wheat, milo, sunflowers and barley. He eventually treated his grandchildren to rides in his combine - including one, with grandson Corey, that was cut short by a tornado just across the wheat field.
Jim could be found on most days at his shop in Marshall, where he was just as skilled at repairing combines and tractors as he was spinning stories for all the overall-wearing farmers who popped in to say hello and gossip.
Jim rose each morning before dawn and came home each day at noon, sharp, for Jackie's home-cooked lunches. He would take a post-lunch "nap" in his living room recliner, though his family strongly suspected he watched Jackie's soap operas - her "stories" - through half-closed eyes.
He almost always was dressed in steel-toe boots and Round House overalls. In his pockets, he carried a pair of pliers, several pens, and a notebook for writing, in impeccable penmanship, the details of parts needed for farm machines.
A natural athlete, he could swim and roller-skate exceedingly well. He taught his children how to train horses and ride them bareback, noting that "Anybody can ride with a saddle."
Jim could be stern and stoic, but he had an undeniable wit and a wry sense of humor. He was known to pick up hitchhikers and, as his children joke, would drive a thousand miles for a free hamburger and a ballcap. He never missed the annual Marshall Volunteer Fire Dept. Rib Supper or the Crescent Fire Dept. Ham 'n' Bean Supper, to which he would take empty pickle jars that he would fill with extra beans, to go.
He adored family picnics at Meadowlake Park in Enid, bonfire wiener roasts, and the Snickers bars he hid in the refrigerator. He gave advice like: "A cowboy never sits with his back to the door." And he loved watching the evening news and listening to the late Paul Harvey on the radio.
Jim is preceded in death by both of his parents, brother Larry Streck and wife Carolyn, and brother Jerry Streck and wife Brenda.
Jim is survived by his wife, Jackie, and by daughter Connie, of Anadarko; daughter Shelli Branson and her husband, Jason, of Crescent; son Todd Streck and his wife, Crystal, of Marshall; and daughter Misty Emmons and her husband, Gary, of Chandler.
He also is survived by eight grandchildren: Hailey Branson-Potts and her husband, Mark Potts, of Torrance, Calif.; Corey Branson, of Crescent; Ashley Thompson, of Norman; Cassiday Thompson, of Weatherford; Hunter Wood and her husband, Kyle, of Crescent; Harley Streck, of Marshall; and Cooper and Remington Emmons, of Chandler.
He leaves behind one great-grandson, Charlie James Potts, of Torrance,
Calif.
Jim also is survived by brother David Leroy Streck and his wife,
Mary, of Troup, Texas; sister Laura Lou Pullin and her husband, Tom, of
Enid; sister-in-law Audry Hill Streck of Troup, Texas; and many nieces and
nephews.
A private family gathering to celebrate Jim's life will take place at a later date.
This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma CemeteriesThe information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.