James Skelley's Obituary
JAMES W. SKELLEY (JIM) Was born on April 28, 1925, in Haiti, Missouri. An Eagle Scout, he entered the Army where he served as a sergeant from 1943-1946. Upon discharge from the Army, he attended SE Missouri State College and graduated with a degree in accounting. There, he met the love of his life, Joan Walker (Jody), who became his wife in 1948. He joined the FBI in 1950 and his first office was in Baltimore, MD. After Baltimore, he served in NYC for nine years where they had two children, Bill and Janet. The FBI took him to Little Rock, Pine Bluff, and eventually to W. Mph, AR, where he was agent in charge until his retirement in 1978. He then served as VP of the Bank of W. Memphis until full retirement in 1985. He and Jody moved to Cordova, TN, in 2004, and joined Bellevue Baptist Church there. His was a life of service to country, to family, and to God, through his work as a deacon at First Baptist Church of W. Memphis, AR. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather to four grandsons. He loved RV trips, fishing, carpentry, gardening and John Wayne movies! Jim is survived by his wife, Jody, his son, Bill and daughter-in-law, Karen, and grandsons Christopher, Jason, Barrett and Phil. His daughter Janet is with him in heaven. Funeral services will be held Tuesday January 3, 2012 at Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Av in Memphis at 2:30 PM. Visitation will be an hour prior to the service. Kindly send any donations in his name to American Cancer Society and Haven Hospice in Jacksonville, FL. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38117, (901)767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.
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