James S. Easterwood passed away Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at the Mississippi State Veterans Home in Jackson, Mississippi. Jim was born February 22, 1945 to Claude & Althea Easterwood, who predeceased him.
He began working at the age of 9 shining shoes in a local barber shop and continued working after school & on weekends at a tire company- determined to pay his way & help his family. He graduated Forest Hill High School in 1963 & attended Hinds Junior College & the University of Southern Mississippi until enlisting in the Air Force in 1966. After completing basic training, he was stationed in Europe for 42 months. After his discharge, he later went to work for the Army National Guard at the Army Aviation Support Facility in Jackson in 1972, where he retired from full-time service in 1994. In 2001, he went on active duty at Camp Shelby until his full retirement in 2005.
At Camp Shelby, Jim was an avid supporter of the enlisted soldiers he supervised. He worked to make sure the enlistees knew the regulations and what they were entitled to—so much so that he kept the Operations Manual in the trunk of his car. As a Warrant Officer, he felt a solemn responsibility to look out for the enlistees.
There was absolutely nothing that Jim couldn't fix. He earned the nickname “MacGyver” from anyone who watched him work. He was awarded an honorary M.J.D. (Mississippi Junk Doctorate) by his young daughter, who takes pride in being “MacGyver’s kid.”
Jim was an honorable man who loved God, his family, & his country. We were blessed to have him as a husband & father. He is survived by wife, Ann Cottrell Easterwood, daughter, Tara Easterwood, brother, CB Easterwood, sister-in-law, Jaye Easterwood, brother-in-law, Clay Hailes, nephews, Brax Easterwood & Damond Easterwood (Kazuyo), niece, Robin Patterson-Farrell (Jason); numerous cousins & friends.
Visitation is Friday, April 12, 2019 from 10 am to 12 pm at Lakewood Funeral Home with graveside service following at Lakewood Memorial Park.
