Cover photo for James Mccray's Obituary
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1921 James 2011

James Mccray

March 8, 1921 — January 9, 2011

James B. Jim McCray, 89, died Sunday, January 9, 2011 in Amarillo.

Memorial services will be at 2:00 p.m. Thursday at the First United Methodist Church in Panhandle with Rev. Lewis Holland of Panhandle and Rev. Dr. Jerry Lane of First United Methodist Church of White Deer. Interment will be in Panhandle Cemetery under the direction of MintonChatwell Funeral Directors of Panhandle.

James Blake McCray was born on March 8, 1921 in Burlington, Iowa to Chester E. and Mary Blake McCray.

Chester McCray came to the Panhandle in 1906 on an Excursion Train from Iowa. He returned to Iowa in 1910 and married his childhood and schoolmate sweetheart, Mary Edith Blake. They came to their farm home near Panhandle. They along with their daughter Genevieve had spent the winter of 192021 in Iowa. They returned to Texas a few weeks after their sons birth, moving soon into Panhandle.

Jim grew up in Panhandle, attended school and graduated from Panhandle High School in 1938. He attended Kemper Military College in Booneville, Missouri for one year, transferring to West Texas State College in 1939. There he met Mogie Routh of Amarillo. They were married September 10, 1941 in Polk Street Methodist Church in Amarillo. They have celebrated sixtynine years of marriage in 2010. They lived in Borger, Tulsa, Oklahoma, San Antonio and Oklahoma City for a couple of years where he was among the first employees to open Tinker Air Base.

In July of 1943, Jim enlisted in the Army Air Corps where he was sent immediately to England to set up facilities similar to Tinker Air Base to service U.S. airplanes. He spent two and a half years in England and Northern Ireland.

Upon his honorable discharge from the Army Air Corp in 1946, Jim and Mogie moved to Panhandle and started their farming operation, moving to a farm nine miles northeast of Panhandle. They moved to Panhandle in 1952 where they resided until 2009.

Three children were born to the couple William Chester Bill in 1946, Robert Edward Bob in 1949 and Jean Ann in 1952. Bob drowned in an accident in White Deer in 1957. Bill died of cancer in Amarillo in 2002. Jean is an attorney in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jim was active in civic affairs in Panhandle and the area. He served as president of the Panhandle Independent School District, as chairman of Carson County Appraisal District, as chairman of the Panhandle Underground Water District No 3, as a member of the Groundwater Management District Association and as chairman of the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Panhandle and an active member of the James Mecaskey VFW Post 6972 in Panhandle. He retired from active farming in 1985. Jim and Mogie are members of the Old Main Society at West Texas A M in Canyon, having established Presidents Honor Scholarships. They also endowed the James B. and Mogie R. McCray Professorship of Business. Jim was named an Honorary Life Member of the Groundwater Management District Association at a convention in El Paso in 2008.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Chester E. and Mary B. McCray his sons, William Chester Robert Edward McCray and sister, Genevieve McCray Lusby.

He is survived by his wife Mogie Routh McCray of the home, his daughter Jean A. McCray and partner Phyllis H. Subin of Albuquerque, NM, one granddaughter and three greatgrandchildren.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials to the First United Methodist Church, Box 549, Panhandle 79068, Carson County Square House Museum, Box 267, Panhandle 79068 or to your favorite charity.



Service


Funeral

First United Methodist ChurchPanhandle
600 Main
Panhandle, TX  79068
Thursday, January 13, 2011
2:00 p.m.

Cemetery


Panhandle Cemetery
East 6th. Street
Panhandle, TX  79068

Memorial Contributions



Box 549
Panhandle, TX  79068


PO Box 276
Panhandle, TX  79068
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