Jim Roth

Jim Roth passed away Thursday, Aug. 21 (2014) at the age of 81, at Hillcrest in Harrison. Jim was born March 21, 1933, in Stuttgart, the oldest son of Ray and Dorothy Roth. His brothers are Charles and wife Georgia, and Roland and wife Regina. Jim married Jo Ann (Joey) Jaynes in Tulsa, Okla., on Dec. 27, 1953. They had three children, Danny, David and Kenny; three daughters-in-law, Tammie, Theresa and Beverly; six grandsons, Zack (Kelsey), Will, Dylan, Jay, Luke and Tyler; and one great-granddaughter, Aspen Jewel. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24, at First Christian Church in Harrison. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25, also at First Christian Church in Harrison. The Rev. Dr. David Artman will officiate. Burial service will be at Maplewood Cemetery in Harrison. Pallbearers will be Lee Scarlet, Jerry Pledger, Fred Garry, Bill Magness, Paul Dart, Vince Markle, Billy Baker and Woody Methvin. Honorary pallbearers are Bill and Bonnie Baker, Joe and Katherine Nance, Don Ball, Bill and Carol Wood, Rita and Charlie Ramsey, Dr. Ron Reese, Dr. Tom Langston, members of the Hearthstone Class at First Christian Church, former members of the Harrison House family and members of the 1952-1954 Razorback Football team. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in honor of Jim to Hillcrest Homes – Crestview Household and Care Givers (Hillcrest Home, 1111 Maplewood Road, Harrison, Ark., 72601) or the Consolidated Youth of Harrison Scholarship Fund (PO Box 634, Harrison, AR 72601). Online condolences may be left at www.holtchapel.com. Jim lived an authentic life based on love of his family and friends, a lifelong bent toward humility and an ongoing interaction with his God. His faith was a touchstone for his family through all the years of his life. His love affair of 60 years with his wife, Joey, bore fruit in the lives and marriages of their three sons and daughters-in-law. It has been said that Jim Roth lived a storybook life. Jim was very modest about his football playing days. In 1949, he and his Stuttgart Ricebird teammates won the State Football Championship in War Memorial Stadium. 50 years later to the day, in the same stadium, he watched his grandson Zack and his Harrison High School teammates win the state championship. From 1952-1954, Jim was a three-year starter at tackle for the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. His senior year he was named co-captain of the famous "25 Little Pigs," who captured the love of the entire state while winning the Southwest Conference Championship and earning a trip to the Cotton Bowl. Upon graduating from the University of Arkansas, he began a longtime career in management with the JC Penney Company. His tenure in Little Rock and Newport News, Va., led to his return back home as manager of the Pine Bluff Penney Store. In 1971, Jim made a life changing decision for his wife and three young sons, leaving a secure corporate career for a new life in Harrison. The Buffalo River beckoned, and the whole family flourished in the culture of a small hometown. In Harrison, Joey and Jim joined his former Razorback teammate, Charlie Ramsey and his wife Rita, as the co-owner of Harrison House, a clothing store. The Roth's later became sole owners and continued the culture of creating friends through the avenue of business. Following over 20 years at Harrison House, Jim worked happily for 10 years as a Realtor with his son, Danny, owner of United Country Roth Realty. Upon retiring, Jim and Joey discovered a love of traveling with friends, including Joe and Edna Sturdivant of Cary, N.C., Bill and Bonnie Baker and Joe and Katherine Nance. Ultimately, Jim's greatest joy became his investment in his six grandsons, and finally, his great-granddaughter Aspen, the first girl in the Roth family. His family wants to thank the members of First Christian Church. His last years of life were enhanced immeasurably by the love shared within those walls. In his later years of Alzheimers, he wanted every day to be Sunday. Also, our deepest thanks to Dee Riddle and the Adult Day Care Center who supplied such tender care. Concluding, we are at a loss of words as a family for the deep love shown by the Crestview division of Hillcrest Nursing Home. Jim was loved to the end by all the nurses and young men who cared for him. While we here celebrate your life so well lived, we give thanks that you have finally journeyed to Hog Heaven.