Jim Ashworth

Services for retired Maj. James Leonard "Jim" Ashworth, 84, of Temple, formerly of Killeen and Salado, will be at 1 p.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church of Salado with the Rev. Pat Anderson officiating. Burial with full military honors will be at 3 p.m. at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen. Mr. Ashworth died March 20, 2011, at his home.

He was born Dec. 19, 1926, in Port Arthur, to Harry Ashworth and Virgie Elizabeth Lathan Ashworth. He grew up and attended school in Beaumont.

On April 2, 1948, he married Dorothy "Dot" Whitis.

After serving 20 years in the U.S. Army, Mr. Ashworth retired at Fort Hood. Following his retirement, he owned and operated B&W Insulation in Killeen for 20 years. From 1979 to 2008, he and his wife lived in Salado, where they were active members of the First Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon. In 2008, they moved to Temple and were members of Taylor's Valley Baptist Church.

Mr. Ashworth was preceded in death by one sister and one brother.

Survivors include his wife, Dot Ashworth of Temple; two daughters, Brenda Ray and her husband, Kenneth, of Belton, and Sheree Hunter and her husband, Roger, of Salado; four grandchildren, Jennifer Larson, Julie Allison, Laurelyn Arterbury and Tate Hunter; and six great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Salado Baptist Church building fund, 201 S. Main Place, Salado, TX 76571 or to the National Parkinson Foundation, P.O. Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741, Parkison.org.

Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen, which is in charge of arrangements.

EXTENDED BIOGRAPHY:

“Seeing is believing.” For many, those words simply represent a motto of sorts. But for Jim Ashworth, it summarized his very essence. He was modest, quiet and observant, taking in everything around him and always thinking before acting. He was a realist, someone who was efficient and practical in everything he did. He was a friendly person who truly cared about those around him.

Jim was born on December 19, 1926 in Port Arthur, TX. He was the son of Harry and Virgie Ashworth. He grew up in Beaumont, TX. Jim experienced all sorts of new things while growing up. He was brought up to be tolerant and trustworthy, conscientious, responsible and punctual. These traits helped guide him throughout life’s journey.

As a young boy, Jim was always aware of how others around him felt, and this quality served him well. With a deep capacity to tolerate the feelings of others, he was generally able to avoid conflicts. It seemed as if he was the family member who was always working to keep stress at bay. Preferring a quiet environment where he could concentrate, Jim also had the ability to relate well to his family and friends. He was raised with 2 siblings. One sister and one brother.

He was constantly involved in activities with his family. Of course, there were the typical spats while growing up, but everyone deeply cared for each other and shared many life experiences over the years.

Jim enjoyed learning immensely. He always had a great memory and was particularly skilled at retaining factual information. He was generally quiet in class, learning best through observation. He often showed great concentration and was competent at completing the tasks at hand. Good with details, he took painstaking care to be accurate in each of his endeavors. All of these abilities culminated in a successful high school career. He graduated from Beaumont, TX.

While school was an important part of these teen years, Jim realized that there was more to life than what was going on in the classroom.

It was a part of Jim’s nature to be a bit cautious around other people. Because of this, he best trusted those people that he truly knew. He was concerned about how those around him felt, and he always seemed to bring out the positive side of people. He could relate to others and had the ability to see their point of view, to “walk a mile in their shoes,” as the saying goes. In short, the friends who he made, he kept.

Love can’t be defined or put in a box, but must be experienced. That was absolutely true for Jim, especially when he met Dorothy Corene Whitis.

He exchanged vows with Dot on April 2, 1948.

He was totally committed to Dot and maintained traditional ideals about marriage. It was as if Jim naturally sensed his spouse’s needs, and accepted those feelings unconditionally. That was just one reason why it was fairly easy for the couple to bring their old friends together and to even make a few new ones.

Although he disliked conflict, he did not take flight from discord, but rather sought to preserve harmony even during the most trying times. This was important to him as he did his best to make everywhere they lived feel like home.

Jim was active in the community. He was practical and grounded and based his decisions on first-hand experience. He was responsible and liked working to achieve results rather than just chattering about possibilities. Jim was a member of several community groups. Due to his excellent organizational skills, Jim was a welcome addition to the professional and community organizations to which he belonged. He could bring established, successful methods to the table, along with a generous helping of common sense. He was good at making and keeping schedules and never got bogged down in unnecessary details.

Jim was a good father. He had old-fashioned parental values and could handle typical family conflicts in a fair and calm manner. Because he trusted emotions, he was reluctant to force issues and generally used gentle persuasion to resolve situations. In this way he seemed to radiate an aura of warmth and caring to those around him, always thinking before acting. In addition, he was a master planner. No matter how hectic life around him might be, he seemed to know and keep track of everyone’s schedule. Jim had two children, Brenda and Sheree. He would often find himself beaming with pride over some of the things his children accomplished.

Jim worked hard to give his children a warm and nurturing environment in which to grow up.

Anyone who traveled or went on vacation with Jim experienced smooth sailing. It was often taken for granted that he was the trip planner. He would start early and examine all of the possibilities, selecting the best and most effective options. He immensely enjoyed those family vacations.

Later on, he was also blessed with four grandchildren, Jennifer Larson, Julie Allison, Laurelyn Arterbury and Tate Hunter.

If you gave Jim a deadline, he would meet it. At work, he was always on task. He could adhere to any assignment without hesitation and see it through to completion. His primary occupation could be described as owner of B & W Insulation in Killeen. During that time, Jim excelled in working with small groups in order to complete assignments. He was able to quickly grasp ideas and organize and plan the best way to accomplish things with remarkable consistency. In addition, he was considerate when it came to listening to what others had to say. Jim had a true gift for being able to come up with practical resolutions to difficult problems. He was often the team member who managed to put forth a win/win solution for all parties.

Jim was a retired Army Veteran with 20 years of service. He seemed to thrive on the routines offered up by the military. Being a literal thinker with a calm exterior helped him handle the rigors of the military. Through hard work and dedication to his duty, Jim achieved the final rank of Major. He earned several awards, including a Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Second Award to Combat Infantryman Badge, Bronze Star.

Jim liked to experience things first-hand, in addition to simply learning about them. This quality influenced his choice of leisure time activities. A methodical and patient person, he preferred to set aside uninterrupted time to enjoy his hobbies. Some of his favorite pastimes included Avid golfer and a member of the Men's Golf Association in Salado, TX. He was content to sit quietly alone, enjoying his hobbies all by himself. In fact, he could often be found just reading about his favorite pastimes.

Jim enjoyed all kinds of things in his life. Reading was always a much-loved activity for Jim.

While thorough and measured in his approach to things, Jim often liked to physically do things rather than just think about them. He was the same way with sports. He also enjoyed the statistical data and the facts behind the sports. He also enjoyed watching his favorite teams and events whenever he got the opportunity.

An individual who respected and maintained traditional values, his faith was important to Jim. His compassion, consideration and sympathy toward others was an outgrowth of his personal beliefs. Was a member of the 1st Baptist Church of Salado, TX from 1979-2008 and from 2008 a member of Taylor's Valley Baptist Temple.

As Jim looked forward to retirement, he tried his best to be well-prepared. He had taken the time to learn about his various options and chose his course wisely.

He managed to stay in touch with a number of his friends and to make new ones as well. He shared his home with Tootsie, a rescue dog of 7 years. He was active in the community and felt fulfilled with the opportunities retirement offered him.

Jim Ashworth left us on March 20, 2011. He passed away at his home in Temple. The cause of death was Parkinsons. He is survived by children Brenda Ray and husband Kenneth and Sheree Hunter and husband Roger. Grandchildren: Jennifer Larson, Julie Allison, Laurelyn Aterbury and Tate Hunter and 6 great grandchildren. Services were handled by Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home of Killeen, TX. Jim was laid to rest at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

It is said that some people can’t see the forest for the trees. However, Jim was able to focus on each individual tree and tend to its needs, thus making the forest stronger as a whole. Jim was a trustworthy, pragmatic and sympathetic person, the kind of man to whom everyone was drawn. He was thorough and practical, and he was very literal with his words. You always knew where you stood with Jim Ashworth. He will be missed.