James Junior Widener

James Junior Widener was born on October 5th, 1935 in Cherokee County, NC. He never met a stranger and had the biggest heart you ever did see. But that marvelous heart wore slap out on the evening of April 3, 2024, when he died peacefully at home with his dear cat, Squeaky, at his side. James is survived by his wife of 62 years, Nella; daughter Jamey Widener-Reynolds (husband Tom Reynolds) and grandson Sam Reynolds; daughter Sheila Osaka and grandson Nikko Osaka (wife Sophia Gucciardi) and granddaughter Maya Osaka. And Squeaky.

James served in the US Army from 1958 to 1960 where he became a medal-winning marksman. He also learned how to ride a backhoe like it was a horse and how to carve tomato rosettes for salads—he was an army cook and used those skills for the rest of his life. In 1961 he met the love of his life, Nella Cable. They went bowling on their first date and were married within six months. Soon after they were married, James cooked a big meal for Nella. Nella, an extraordinary cook, thought that she didn’t have anything to worry about in the cooking department—but when she saw those rosettes on that salad, she knew she had some competition!

In November 1961, President John F. Kennedy called James back to the service due to the political situations in Berlin and Cuba, and James and Nella had to move to Louisiana. They lived in a tiny trailer at that time, and when the crisis was over they hauled that trailer to North Carolina to put down roots in Gastonia. They had two daughters, Jamey and Sheila, and both James and Nella were especially supportive of their education. James and Nella put both daughters through college, despite the fact that they were often asked why they would waste money by putting women through school. James said it didn’t matter what anybody else thought, and he was delighted by the successes of his family.

James had many grand adventures and left the family with quite a few jaw-dropping stories. The biggest event of all was quite the whopper—around 1968 he was working as a plumber and pulling a pump out of a well when a pipe hit a live electric wire. He was hit with 7200 volts. It stopped his heart and threw him into the air, and when he hit the ground his heart started back up. The electricity left his body via his right foot. He required a bit of work on the foot, but he insisted on keeping it. He also was swept off a deep-sea fishing boat during a storm (brother-in-law Curt Sain pulled him back in); rolled a riding lawnmower on a hill; went into anaphylactic shock twice after perilous encounters with ants and bees; and played fast and loose with his diet. Whew! We were lucky to have him as long as we did.

In addition to their daughters, James and Nella had various pets. They had lots of cats and dogs (Lady! Bonnie and Clyde!) over the years as well as chickens and cattle. James was a cat charmer and a dog whisperer and he never met a dog he couldn’t pet. Never one to draw the line at domesticated animals, James fed a steady stream of possums, skunks, and raccoons (all named “Leroy”) out back behind the shed. Luckily, he passed the animal-loving gene along to his daughters, and the family would often talk about all kinds of critters.

James loved to listen to the oldies and was delighted by how he could pull up his music on his phone. His particular favorites were Charley Pride (whom he met), Elvis, Alan Jackson, and Willie Nelson. He loved to listen to Elvis’ gospel music and the Chuck Wagon Gang (in concert!). James was also a deacon at Berea Baptist Church in Gastonia, and his faith was very important to him..

James was bigger than life and if anything was worth doing, it was worth overdoing—in a good way! He was a plumber who never met a pipe he couldn't tame and a welder who was so savvy he mentored and taught other welders. He was able to rig up equipment to make hard things easy: he put some kind of vacuum device on his lawn mower and never needed to worry about grass clippings or leaves. He was even able to rig up something similar to take the worry out of yellow jacket nests. This was especially important since it turned out he was allergic to bees (ants, too). The allergies never kept him out of the yard, though, that’s for sure.

James loved to eat. He once said that if he couldn’t eat what he wanted to eat, he would rather not live. So, for 88 years he ate death-defying amounts of fried catfish, sausage, egg and cheese biscuits, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, Tony’s butter pecan ice cream, and hard candy. He loved to grill steaks and burgers with those hard-earned army skills, and he was quick to tell everyone, “Get you some more!”

On the night he died, he had hard candy in his pockets. So please, the next time you enjoy some fried fish, a good biscuit, or a piece of hard candy, think of James. And then get yourself some more.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to an animal rescue, Berea Baptist Church, or another organization near and dear to your own heart.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be offered to the Widener Family at www.carothersfuneralhomegastonia.com.