James William (Jim) Green, 84, of Hoxie, died Nov. 2 in Jonesboro. Born to Herbert and Julia Mae (Hughes) Green on Oct. 29, 1940, in Hoxie, he was a lifelong resident of the town.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Frances (Weir) Green, of the home; one son, Jimmy and wife Valarie Green, of Walnut Ridge; one daughter, Gwen Green and husband Jeremy Peppas, of Little Rock; two granddaughters, Sarah Manning (Aaron) of Walnut Ridge and Olivia Middlecoff (Casey) of Bono; and great-grandchildren Rylee, Luke and Markum Manning; one brother, Bob Green, of Jonesboro; many nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.
Mr. Green was Mr. Hoxie. Growing up, his grandfather and father operated A.B. Green and Son Grocery in the heart of town. He attended Hoxie during the 1955 integration and was a member of the Hoxie High School Class of 1958. His first full-time job was at Railway Express in Hoxie. He lived in the same home on the corner by the school for six decades. For 28 years, with his wife, he was a teacher and bus driver at Hoxie until they retired together in 1995. They then worked together for five years at the Northeast Arkansas Education Cooperative. He was a lifelong member of the Hoxie United Methodist Church, where he was a tenor in the choir and beloved for his renditions of “Mary’s Little Boy Child” at Christmas and “Mother Machree” on Mother’s Day, a member of United Methodist Men and a long-time trustee. In his younger days, he served in the National Guard and on the Hoxie Volunteer Fire Department, and in retirement, he was an active member of the Wayland Spring United Methodist Camp board. He cooked many fish fries and spaghetti dinners for school and church and relished preparing meals for family and friends. He was a member of the Hoxie Masonic Lodge No. 692 for more than 50 years. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoyed hunting ducks and deer, fishing and gardening. He was a sports fan, and his team through thick and thin was the Dallas Cowboys. He loved to sing and to listen to Gospel quartets. He and Frances took many special trips with family and friends, including cruises and vacations to Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, New York City and Iceland. He celebrated milestones and holidays with the Birthday Bunch, a group of special friends who lived their lives together over the decades.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his grandparents, Arthur and Nettie “Sally” (Coats) Green of Hoxie and W.S. and Kate (Ruffner) Hughes of Alicia, his brother, Tom Green, and his sister, Judy Belk.
Visitation will be 5-7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6, at Hoxie United Methodist Church. Funeral services under the direction of Bryan Funeral Home will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the church, followed by burial at Lawrence Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Terrell Downing, Lonnie Smith, David Belk, Mark Belk, Terry Howard, Ric Wilcox and (honorary) Lanny Tinker, with Rev. Jeremy Hopper and Rev. Bob Hager officiating.
