Jim Pendleton's Obituary
James Biklen Pendleton, a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, devoted husband, and loving father, passed peacefully into the arms of his Savior on July 24, 2025, in Germantown, Tennessee, following a nine-month battle with a Glioblastoma brain tumor. He was 70 years old.
Born in 1955, in Lawrence, Kansas, Jim was the son of Albert Biklen Pendleton and Lorita Higginbottom Pendleton. He grew up on the family farm, where his love for agriculture began, and was actively involved in the Douglas County 4-H Program during his youth.
Jim graduated from Lawrence High School in 1973 and spent three years at the University of Kansas. A percussionist, he was a member of the Marching Jayhawks, KU’s marching band.
In 1977, Jim was selected to participate in the Young Agricultural Specialist Exchange Program (YASEP), an initiative between the United States and the Soviet Union. As part of this rare opportunity, he lived with host farm families in the USSR, gaining a deep and personal understanding of Soviet agricultural life during the era of collective and state farms.,
Jim continued his education at Kansas State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and a master’s degree in international agricultural development. He was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity at both KU and K-State.
After graduation, Jim felt a call to missions and served for two and a half years with Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) in Nigeria, ministering and serving the needs of Fulani farmers and herdsmen.
Following his time overseas, Jim returned to the U.S. and built a successful 30-year career as an investment professional specializing in the agricultural sector, first in Kearney, Nebraska, and later in Memphis, Tennessee, with Prudential.
In 2015, upon retiring from Prudential, Jim embraced a new calling and served faithfully as Director of Global Missions at First Evangelical Church of Memphis. For over eight years, he provided steady leadership to First Evan’s mission efforts until his cancer diagnosis.
Jim is survived by his beloved wife of 29 years, Barbara Cooper Pendleton; his younger brothers, John (Karen) Pendleton of Lawrence, Scott (Cindy) Pendleton of Orlando, Florida; and his children, Jared (Erin) Pendleton of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Melody (Wyeth) Greene of Memphis, and Marissa (Cade) Benedict of Memphis. He was a proud and loving grandfather to eleven grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Al and Lorita Pendleton, and his first wife, Marilyn Lacey Pendleton.
Jim’s legacy is one of faith, loyalty, and generosity. He will be remembered for his genuine interest in those God placed around him, his commitment to the Great Commission, and the love he had for his family and friends.
A service celebrating Jim’s life will be held at First Evangelical Church in Memphis on Wednesday, July 30. Visitation will be 11am-1pm with the service immediately following. Afterwards, burial will be at Elmwood cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the First Evangelical Missions Fund.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38119 (901) 767-8930. “Where Memphis comes to remember, since 1924.”
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