James was born on June 10, 1944 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to James Byron Speaker and Hazel Ruth Beattie Speaker. On March 6, 1964 he married his high school sweetheart Shirley Ann Speaker. They moved to Arlington, TX in 1964 where he took a position at General Motors and they raised their two daughters, Kimberly and Shannon.
James went by many names- Jimmy, RCA, Short Britches, Roper Dan, Pops, but his favorite names to answer to were Papa and Daddy. He loved his family passionately, and if you weren’t family, he made you feel like family. He was known for his crazy humor, always making people laugh, his recipes, his love for Whataburger, his redneck self-made gadgets, and living to have a good time. Most importantly, he always wanted to be surrounded by the people he loved.
James is survived by his wife Shirley, his two daughters, Kimberly Galloway and husband Jerry, Shannon Bird and husband Jamey, five grandchildren Tyler and husband Matt, Jordan and husband Jordan, Colton, Logan, and Gracyn, and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Robert Speaker and wife Patty, loving in-laws, nieces, nephews, and life-long friends.
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