James “Jim” Dennis Waters September 01, 1934 – December 20, 2018 Share this obituary Send Sympathy Gifts Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card James Dennis Waters (Jim) was born September 1st, 1934 in Geary Oklahoma to Clemon Waters and Alma Stoner Waters. When Jim was seven his father passed away, so he helped his school teacher mother by delivering newspapers around town. He was baptized at the age of nine in the First Christian Church of Watonga.
His mother got a job with the Department of Human Services in Ellis County, so Jim and his sister Patricia stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Stoner in Geary until they moved with their mother to Arnett when Jim was twelve. Jim attended Arnett Public schools until his graduation with the class of 1953. He attended the first Christian Church of Arnett, was active in Boy Scouts, played basketball and ran track.
He was also active in 4H where he served as the President. Upon graduation, Jim attended Oklahoma State University. On a weekend home from college he attended a dance at Camargo, where he met Betty Jean Dean and on April 12, 1955 they were married in Fargo, Oklahoma.
To this union, three children were born, Jimmie Russell, Don Lee and Paula Jean. Jim and Betty started a dairy at his step father’s (Ralph Holt) home west of Arnett and milked cows until 1963. After milking, he worked at Vincent Chevrolet in the service department, Chesnut 66 and drove a school bus.
He also was a calf roper and attended many rodeos. He and Earl Wayland custom harvested, cutting wheat all the way from Seymour, Texas to the Dakota’s. When Jim’s In-laws Russell (Shorty) and Pauline retired, he and Betty purchased part of their Horned Hereford cows, rented their grass and farmed the land.
Upon the death of his step farther, he took over the farm west of Arnett and installed an irrigation system and raised oat hay, wheat and milo for their Hereford cattle. Jim was a farmer and rancher, but people would ask him to find a certain piece of equipment for them. He started attending farm auctions all over the Texas panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas.
He loved doing this and made many good friends across the area. He had a gift for relating to people and would visit for hours on the phone and in person about equipment, cattle and farming with friends. Jim was the President of the Ellis County Fair Association and President of the Arnett Rodeo Club and organization that put on some of the finest rodeos in the country.
He was a calf roper and attended Toots Mansfield’s roping school in Big Spring, Texas. He was a member of the Oklahoma Hereford Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Texas and Southwest Cattle Raisers Association. Jim passed on those loves of farming, ranching, rodeoing and playing basketball to his kids.
They spent many hours learning how to operate combines, tractors, roping calves and trying to shoot a basketball just like him. Later, it was the grandkids that got that same expertise. Jim was a great basketball fan and spent most nights watching college basketball and especially his favorite Duke.
Jim loved his family very much. He leaves behind his wife of 64 years, Betty, sons Jimmie Russell and Don Lee and wife Bonnie, his daughter Paul Jean Read and husband Jayson, sister Patricia Waters. His grandchildren Kyle Waters and wife Kate, Marrisa Shaw and husband Ryan, Trey Waters and wife Bambi, Dallas Henderson and husband Mike, Jenny West and husband Rylan and Camden Read.
He is survived by Great Grandchildren Jake Russell, Kaylin and Jaxton West, Rylee Moore, Addison Shaw and Blakely Waters. He is also survived by his Aunt Margaret Stoner, sister-in-law Russellene Kays and numerous cousins. Memorial donations may be made to the Arnett Fire Department or Camargo Fire Department in care of Shaw Funeral Home, P.O. Box 276, Vici, OK 73859.
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