James Allen Meredith

James Meredith Obituary James Allen Meredith, affectionately known as Jimmie Allen, Jim, Dad, and Pappy, departed this world on Friday morning, January 19, 2024, in his lifelong home of Tulsa, Oklahoma, leaving behind a legacy of love and devotion to his family and friends. Born on December 8, 1942, Jim was the son of James and Betty Meredith. Growing up in an active home on East Fifth Street, he attended Kendall Elementary , Wilson Junior High, and Central High School, graduating in 1960. During his school years, Jim and his brothers were active in their neighborhood, participating in Boy Scouts and church activities. Jim also took steel guitar lessons, wrestled at Wilson, developed skills for drafting and working on cars, and maintained an early morning newspaper route for years, famously sneaking out his parents’ car on cold mornings-until his dad found out! After high school, Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Psychology at The University of Tulsa, while simultaneously supporting his young family. He was an avid fan of the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane football and basketball teams. A dedicated father, he and Linda raised Mike, Julie, and Jaime in Tulsa. Jim was a lifelong learner and he included his family in his pursuits. He delved into an extremely wide range of hobbies and activities over the decades, including distance running, (Jim claimed he could run a five-minute mile!), snow-skiing, and archery. Much to his distaste, he had extensive experience in all aspects of home improvement and renovation, from roof replacement to flooring installation. As a member of the Tulsa Astronomy Club, he hand-crafted two large telescopes to which he could attach his camera and capture detailed stellar images. In later years, Jim dependably sent his kids emails or texts informing them of upcoming weather events, meteor showers, eclipses, and space station flyovers. Jim’s love of the outdoors further extended to hiking, rock climbing, enduro bike racing, backpacking trips with Mike and friends, bow-fishing, family camping trips exploring the scenic beauty of Estes Park, Colorado, and numerous Oklahoma and Arkansas state parks, and several family beach vacations to the Texas coast. A true Renaissance man, Jim also displayed remarkable artistic and creative abilities, again, almost entirely self-taught, not limited to painting and drawing, stained glass, scrimshaw carving, and candle making. He had extensive experience in vegetable gardening, sculpting Bonsai trees, building terrariums, plant propagation, tree identification, and birding. An excellent cook, he even attended classes on preparing Japanese cuisine. However, all who knew him would agree that his most prolific skill was in woodworking. His extremely detailed handmade clocks, fine furniture pieces, jewelry boxes, carved statues and tobacco pipes are treasured family heirlooms. He admirably employed these skills over a span of months in the 1990’s by meticulously restoring the Gold Room Library at the Tulsa Garden Center to its original glory, an indelible gift to the people of his beloved home of Tulsa. At the age of 75, much to the dismay of his family, Jim invited his first puppy, Jack, the Jack Russell Terrier, into his midtown home. Jack quickly became the ruler of Jim’s household and a beloved friend and entertainer. Jim’s professional journey was notably versatile. He was employed by North American/Rockwell, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and the Sun Oil Company in the early years of computer programming and information technology, again self-taught. This knowledge led to his becoming the Director of Research and Development at Management Planning Systems, Inc., and later, network management contract work at for the Preview Guide Channel and other businesses. After retiring, Jim obtained his Federal Firearms License and operated a gunsmithing business for four years. He also enjoyed assembling firearms, particularly FAL style rifles. Known for his love of many kinds of music, particularly classic and southern rock, Jim was a fan of bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, and REO Speedwagon. But he also enjoyed bluegrass, country, and classical genres. He especially admired skilled banjo and guitar players, and even practiced learning to play the guitar in recent years. Staying constantly informed by Fox News, Jim maintained a diligent conservative outlook. Most of all, Jim was admirably devoted to his parents, children and grandchildren. He was a dependable and enthusiastic attender of every birthday party, family meals and holiday celebrations, and he always loved when out-of-town relatives visited Tulsa. He was an especially engaged grandfather, always keenly interested in the activities of each of his eleven grandchildren. Jim Meredith is survived by his three children, Michael and wife Diane, Julie and husband Donovan, and Jaime and husband Kyle. He will be sorely missed by his grandchildren Lindsey, Dylan, Roman, Sam, Mallory, Katie, Noelle, Mitch, Ailee, Jack and Johnmark, as well as his great-grandchildren Heath, Ryder, Ruston, Indiana, Fleetwood, and Snow. Also left to mourn his passing are Jim’s brother Ken and wife Kathy, the mother of his children, Linda Anthony, sister-in-law Carol Meredith, and his canine companion, Jack. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, Joseph Meredith. Per Jim’s wishes, Mike, Julie and Jaime will host an informal Celebration of Life to honor Jim’s legacy and share wonderful memories of his life, interests, and sense of humor. Family and friends are encouraged to attend at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 2, in the Rivercrest Great Room at 13329 S. Memorial Drive in Bixby. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James Allen Meredith, please visit our floral store. Read More

James Allen Meredith

December 8, 1942 - January 27, 2024