James Rudolph Adams

Rudy, as he was called, was raised in his family home outside the town of Conway, Arkansas, where he developed a lifelong love of nature, fishing, and hunting.

Rudy enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean war and was stationed in Japan as an airplane mechanic. There he learned to speak Japanese and also achieved Brown Belt status in judo at the Kodokan Institute of Judo. For the rest of his life he talked about this period probably more than any other, as his time in the Air Force was one of the most formative and important experiences of his life.

When he returned to the states he married his high school girlfriend, Jo and they moved to Grand Prairie, Texas, where they had their son, Steve. Rudy took a job at Sears while he studied business at TCU on the GI bill, graduating with a BS in Business. Before long he became a Regional Manager with Sears and volunteered through the company yearly for the United Way. Rudy and Jo, who was now a schoolteacher, had a second child, a daughter named Tamara.

As a devoted dad, Rudy took his son hunting and fishing, then later drove him all over the state for tennis tournaments. He supported his daughter by attending every play or dance recital she ever performed in. When as an adult, Tamara had her sons, Rhys and Grant, Rudy found himself a natural and enthusiastic grandfather. He could play with those boys constantly, and they stayed over at the house frequently. Rudy was also a lover of dogs, which was fortunate since Jo could not live without at least one Boston terrier in the house. Rudy even came to love cats, naming one Shep since he thought Shep acted like a dog.

Rudy continued to work for Sears the rest of his career. His and Jo’s marriage lasted over 60 years until her recent death in 2021. Jo said Rudy was the funniest man she ever knew, and she thought their ability to laugh was the main reason their marriage lasted so long.

He is survived by his son, Steve Adams, his daughter, Tamara Adams Woodruff, and his grandsons Rhys Woodruff and Grant Woodruff. His family and his friends know they were lucky to have had him in their lives. He was a good man.