James Stewart, Jr., age 87, of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away on Saturday, May 4, 2019. He was born in Sallisaw, Oklahoma on April 12, 1932. He was the son of Dolly Greenfield and James Stewart. James Stewart died while little “Junior” was only 2-years old. He was raised by his mother and step father, Arch Timmerman. Jim was the oldest sibling of six…Stanley, John, Emma Jean and his surviving brother Troy Timmerman and sister Caroline Willis.
Jim only attended school until the 8th grade, and then he followed his family to California where he worked farming in the cotton and wheat fields to help support his family.
On June 22, 1952, Jim married Teresa Stanley. One of his favorite stories to tell about Teresa was that another man once offered him $1,000,000 if he could have Teresa, and Jim turned him down. Jim knew she was priceless…he was one “lucky” man.
Jim and Teresa welcomed their first son, Ricky Dale, in 1953. In 1954, the family moved to Burbank, California where Jim started working with sheet metal. Jim’s drive to succeed in life led him to attend night classes to learn all that he could about his trade. Later, he and his partner, Greg Schrott, opened their own business, Sheet Metal Specialists, where they built parts for the aerospace industries.
In 1962 and 1964, Jim and Teresa welcomed their second son, Craig Alan, and only daughter, Brenda Lorraine, to their family.
Jim was very proud of his family and he saw so much of himself in all of them. He spent time traveling with his kids and teaching them to enjoy life outdoors by boating, waterskiing, hunting and motorhome camping. Jim was also a diehard Sooner fan, but he always wore hats to support his kids and grandkids favorite teams.
In 1977, Jim made some life decisions that took his family eastbound. As they embarked on a trip for a new life in Oklahoma, they stopped in Las Vegas, Nevada, and purchased the City Center Motel. Jim was good at bringing people together, and over 20-something years, Jim and Teresa planted roots in Las Vegas and greeted many friends and family in their new home town.
The lights of his life were his granddaughters Rachael, Jennifer, Nicolle, Gabrielle and great-granddaughter Autumn Raine.
One thing that everyone will say about Jim is that he loved his family and friends. He was generous and always there to pick up the pieces or help out when you needed him. He was truly ambitious, genuine, and a one-of-a-kind. He left that legacy with each of us because we all dearly love, respect, and will forever remember the man that he was.
A visitation for James will be held Thursday, May 9, 2019 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at Palm Eastern Mortuary, 7600 S Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89123. A funeral service will occur Friday, May 10, 2019 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm at the same location.
