of Mountain Home, AR

June 1, 1936 - August 31, 2024

Mr. James ''Jim'' Clarence Householder passed away on Saturday, August 31, 2024, at the age of 88, in Mountain Home, Arkansas, with his family by his side. He was born in the little town of Milo, Missouri on June 1, 1936, to Roy and Lucille (Palmer) Householder.

Growing up on a country farm Jim did what most boys did in those days: farm chores, hunting, and fishing. His brilliant mind developed quickly and with the help of his dad and schoolteacher mom, he learned how to fix and do just about anything.

Jim graduated from Nevada High School in Nevada, Missouri, continued playing basketball for two years at SMS (MSU) in Springfield, Missouri, and then completed four years at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. On June 8, 1960, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and married his SMS sweetheart, Marjorie Elizabeth Fearl. He served over three years as an Army First Lieutenant in Munich, Germany, where he and his wife welcomed their daughters Kelly and Dana. They loved their time in Europe, traveling as much as possible, learning to snow ski, and making life-long friends. In 1963, he was honorably discharged from the Army.

Jim began his career in engineering at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York, then transferred to Houston, Texas, completing over three years of employment with the company. While he enjoyed working with Kodak and learning about photography, the desire for a more rural life prompted him to move his family to Mountain Home and build their home, where they've spent over 50 years in the woods by the beautiful Big Creek.

Except for a few years of supervising construction projects in the area, Jim was employed at Baxter Healthcare, Corporation with over 25 years as Plant Engineering Manager. He was considered a great leader, generous mentor, and was appreciated for his many talents by everyone at the facility. He left a distinguished legacy that will not be soon forgotten. After retiring he continued as a consultant on several projects for Baxter.

In his free time Jim loved being outdoors, in the woods, the fields, or at the lake on the pontoon boat, and in the company of his family and friends. Bird hunting was one of his favorite activities. He hunted locally and afar (including an annual pheasant hunting trip to South Dakota with a group of friends, spanning over 30 years). He also enjoyed tinkering with his impressive collection of antique and classic tractors, searching the country for special ''finds'', taking road trips to go pick them up, and competing in tractor pulls for many years resulting in quite the collection of trophies. Another love of his was traveling, road trips in particular, seeking the roads less traveled. His family vacations almost always involved a truck, a camper, and national parks.

Jim had friends everywhere. He could comfortably talk to anyone he met because he had a true interest in them and their stories. He will be remembered as brilliant, sweet, generous, respectful, thoughtful, hardworking, and his sense of humor will remain in everyone's memories. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend who was loved by many and will be greatly missed.

Jim is survived by his wife Marjorie Householder; two daughters: Kelly Lynn Householder-Giuliano (Peter) and Dana Leigh Householder; sister: Helen Joan Kosley; four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents: Roy James Householder and Lucille (Palmer) Householder; sister: Riva McMannis; and brother: Karl Otis Householder.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00pm on Saturday, September 21, 2024, at Roller Funeral Home with a gathering of family and friends to be held at the Trout Room at The Sheid on the campus of ASUMH between 3-6:00pm with refreshments after the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of the Ozarks.

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