James Gilmer Reid, 92, passed peacefully on Sunday, September 7, at 7:40 p.m.  He was born during the Great Depression in America on September 15, 1932 at Toomsuba, MS, a small community just outside of Meridian MS, to the late Wiley Preston and Nannie Lee (Steedley) Reid.  He was one of 10 children.  All have predeceased him except his sister, Mary Lucille Ward, of Meridian, MS.

He is survived by his son, James L. Reid and his wife, Sheryl (Parsley) Reid of Cabot, AR; his son, David G. Reid and his wife Teresa (Hargrove) Reid of Jacksonville, AR; his daughter, Denise Reid Hoggard and her husband Glen Hoggard, of Little Rock, AR.  He is also survived by grandchildren Lawren Aycock and her husband Chris Aycock of Cabot, AR;  Eva Lindsey Wojcik and her husband Aaron Wojcik of Nashville, TN; Lacy J. Copley and her husband Terry Copley of Cabot, AR; Jared Reid and his wife Mandy Reid of Little Rock, AR; Bonnie Spitler and her husband Paul Spitler of Fayetteville, AR; Hank Hoggard of Bella Vista, AR; Hal Hoggard and his fiancé Corbin Taylor Langley, of Little Rock.  He is survived by great grandchildren: Morganne Fason; Maddox White; Oliver, Hazel and Stella Wojcik; Aiden and Preston Copley; Simon, Jonah and Lucas Reid; Hannah McNamara, Brandon Spitler and one great great grandchild, Alexis McNamara.

He had three wonderful wives, Garnett Louise (Reid) Donnelly, Mary Reid, and Margaret Reid, all of whom predeceased him. All three of his wives were members with him at Second Baptist Church, Jacksonville, AR.

He was born in a two-bedroom house where his family worked for a neighboring farmer to pay for their rent and modest living expenses.  Because he worked while growing up, he only completed formal education through the 9th grade.  When he was 18, he moved in with his older brother, Clyde, in Jackson, MS, where he went to work for a local grocery store and ultimately met Garnett, the mother of his three children.

James had a desire to serve his country so he joined the U.S. Air Force at 19 years old and reached the highest enlisted grade possible without a college education. He served in Korea 1955-1956, and in Vietnam 1965-1966. He served at Craig Air Force Base in Selma AL, at Amarillo Air Force Base, Amarillo, TX, Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu HI, and his last station was Little Rock Air Force Base where he served until retirement in 1971.  With his growing young family, James kept part-time jobs along the way, usually janitorial type work, to help make ends meet.

His late brother, Wiley Reid, lived in North Carolina and convinced him to relocate his family there so the brothers could work together.  But that was not meant to be.  James missed Jacksonville and after a few months returned to the City that he loved.  He became the Jacksonville Court Clerk and then started his own janitorial service that kept him working late into the night and early mornings.

His love for the City of Jacksonville was strong and he decided to run for mayor.  He was an unknown running against an incumbent mayor who had been in office 12 years.  James won the election on November 4, 1974, was reelected November 6, 1978, November 4, 1982 and ultimately defeated at the age of 54 on November 6, 1986.

He then became a Realtor and worked at Bart Gray Realty where he found a second home.  Bart and Thad Gray were close friends and mentors for him, always showing steadfast support and love to him.  He took great pride in being a part of the company and many people over the years know he was the person who changed the company sign to display birthday, anniversary, and special occasions.  The Grays even built a metal platform for James so that he could reach the sign easier and avoid falling!  It was lovingly known as Reid's platform.

James credited his parents with starting him out on a firm foundation rooted in faith.  He attended a revival in Meridian when he was 13 where he professed his faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.  His brother, Wiley, followed him down the aisle the next day and they were baptized at the same time. Church was always a part of his life.

As soon as he got to Jacksonville, he and Garnett joined Second Baptist Church in Jacksonville in 1969.  He became a deacon there in 1971 through 1983.  He was a Sunday School teacher, a choir member, a prayer warrior and frequent volunteer for whatever needed to be done at the church. He made sure his children were in church alongside of him.  All three were saved at Second Baptist.  As Mayor, he performed wedding services for all three of his children.

He and Garnett later divorced.  Afterwards, he was at Second Baptist Church in the Fellowship Hall when he first saw Mary Denniston and he believed she was sent by God to that meeting.  They spent 30 years together as husband and wife until she succumbed to cancer.  He was beside her with two of her daughters, Jo Sara Davis and Janie Beavers as she passed. Her other daughter, Julie Ann Strickland, was out of state at the time.  James loved all three of them and their children.  He spoke of them often.

He then fell in love with fellow Second Baptist Church member, Margaret, and they married in September 2022.  She predeceased him in May of this year.

Because James served in Vietnam and was exposed to Agent Orange, he was a 70 percent disabled veteran.  Most didn't know he was disabled because he didn't speak much about the war or his experiences there.  He had neuropathy in his feet and had no feeling in them.

It didn't stop him from caring for others, which was a constant during his life.  He was very devoted to the Gideons and worked as a volunteer through the United Way.  He delivered meals on wheels for decades finally stopping that service after Covid years.  He volunteered as a school crossing guard.  He regularly donated blood throughout his life until he was in his 80s.  He took in people at his home either for meals, for staying for weeks or months.  He paid utility bills for people who were in need, he loaned money that never came back to him.  He gave even when he didn't have the means to comfortably do so.

At the time of his death, he was a resident at the Arkansas Veterans Nursing Home in North Little Rock.  He had enjoyed being in relatively good health until he underwent a hernia repair surgery in January, 2025.  As a complication, he suffered a heart attack several days later.  He was living at home in Jacksonville together with Margaret at the time.  He spent several days hospitalized and was treated at the Veterans Administration rehabilitation hospital in North Little Rock.  He received excellent care at both places.  He was proud of his military service and the fact that he could go to the Arkansas Veterans Nursing Home when he couldn't stay at home any longer.  He counted it a joy to be there in Hero Home One where he got to be with fellow servicemen and was cared for by a loving staff.

His passing was a special gift in the way it occurred.  During morning church services, his family got a call that time might be short.  All three of his children were able to be there with him for Sunday afternoon, to pray over him and comfort him as he was given medications to make him comfortable. He loved Sunday afternoons with his family!  He was visited by Pastor David O'Dell, and several church members.  His last visitor of the day was former Mayor Gary Fletcher. James and Gary were very close and loved each other.  He sat with James' daughter Denise as they shared stories about him until it was time to leave for the evening.  Mayor Fletcher and Denise went to say goodnight and pray over James before leaving.  Sometime during the prayer, James took his last breath.  With hands laid on him, he was prayed into eternity.

He wrote down many thoughts as he aged for sharing upon his death.  He wrote:

"At this time I want to thank God for the many years he gave me living in this beautiful world He created, for wonderful parents who gently but steadfastly instilled the character and moral molding of my life for which I'm grateful. As my life on Earth ends and yours continues, I pray you have or will have today a personal relationship with Jesus Christ my Lord, the only person who can truly give you life unending, comfort, peace, love and pull you through the difficult times plus send blessings to make you smile all year long.  Trust me, you can trust Him to be in control of your life. Jesus Christ is King.  To my children, stepchildren, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren just know that you all made my earthly life worth living.  To all my friends, thanks for the good times.  The breath from my body is gone by my soul lives on in eternity with my Lord.  'Wow' it's just wonderful.  I can't wait for you to join me."

He requested that in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Second Baptist Church, 117 North James Street, Jacksonville, AR  72076.  If you prefer, he loved the Gideons here in Arkansas.

His family wants to thank all of his caregivers at the VA, at the Arkansas Veterans Nursing Home and through Arkansas Hospice.  It was such a blessing to be in your care.

Visitation will be at Second Baptist Church, 117 North James Street, Jacksonville, AR on Friday, September 12, 2025 from 5-7 p.m. and the funeral will be Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 11 a.m. in the Sanctuary.  The funeral will be followed by a graveside service with full military honors at Chapel Hill Memorial Park, 1504 N. JP Wright Loop Road.