Funeral services for James E. Dykes will be 4 p.m. Saturday, August 6,
2016 at East View Baptist Church in Kilgore, Texas. Visitation will be
Friday evening from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Rader Funeral Home in Kilgore. Burial in Kilgore Cemetery, Kilgore, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations to Texas Baptist Men Disaster Relief, Attention Mickey Lenamon, 5351 Catron, Dallas, TX 75227
Today we celebrate James Dykes homecoming. He is celebrating his 86th birthday in heaven today. James Eldridge Dykes was born August 5, 1930 to HL and Rena Dykes in Rusk, Texas. He was the fourth child in a family of eight. James grew up with Daniel, Irene, Dorothy, Wayne, Kenneth, Delvin and Evelyn in East Texas. He worked in the East Texas oil fields and lumber camps before he joined the Air Force in 1948 when he was 17. He proudly served his country for 20 years.
James met and married Joanne Nash and together they traveled across the country and overseas. They raised two children, James Frank and Linda Anne. After retiring from the Air Force, he worked as a carrier for the US Postal Service for 20 years. After that retirement, James and Joanne went on several home mission trips and also worked with Texas Baptist Men's Disaster Relief.
After Joanne's death in 2004, he married Sandra Moore in 2009, and added her two children to the family, Kim and Kevin. James was a farmer and cattle man, a Baptist deacon, a Disaster Relief cook and dishwasher, a proud veteran, a fix-it-guy. James was a pillar in his community and was well loved and respected. He supported his family and gave whole-heartedly his whole life. He loved to play dominoes, eat good food, and laugh.
He died on August 2nd, surrounded by family and friends in Kansas City. James is survived by his wife, Sandra, and his children, James and his wife Margaret, Linda, Kim and her husband Ed, Kevin and his wife Deana and their children, Ken, Liz, Travis, Luke, Julie, Sandy, Sarah, Trey, Breanna, and Maddi, plus numerous nieces and nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and his sister Evelyn.
