James "Jim" L. Grimes

Jim was born in St. Louis, MO on December 22, 1943 to James and Dorothy Grimes. He grew up on a farm in central Illinois and later in Dallas, Texas along with his big sister Sandra and little brother Steve.

Jim married his sweetheart Ronna Evans on June 18th, in Carthage, MO. Jim and Ronna were married for almost 57 years.

He attended Ozark Christian College, then graduated from Oklahoma State University’s School of Technology. Out of college, Jim moved to the Chicago area where he worked 23 years for Amoco Oil as an electronics engineer. After retiring from Amoco, he founded G3 Technologies, an electronics company that he continued to run for another 28 years. Jim was known in the oil industry for being part of a team that developed SCADA equipment (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) that is still being used in the gas/oil industry today.

Jim is the father of three sons, James Kevin, David Wayne (Karen) and Benjamin Wade (Katie), and the grandfather of six: Rebecca Ruth Grimes, Nathan David Grimes, Carsen Warner Grimes, Alistair Whitman Dupre’ Grimes, Colette Marie Grimes, and Minnie Kay Grimes.

One of Jim’s lifelong dreams was to obtain his pilot’s license, a goal he realized in 2002. His first solo flight was a momentous occasion, but getting to fly his own father from Oklahoma to Illinois, as well as various flights with family and friends, were among Jim’s favorite moments of his life. He loved being in the air and took every opportunity to do so.

In 1995, Jim and Ronna built a home, affectionately known as the farm, a community known as Broadwings near Louisburg Kansas with the vision of having a place for pastors and missionaries to rest which they ran for over 20 years. In 2018, they began to transition their focus to building community in Kansas City’s inner city, helping lead a local ministry called Hope City. Jim was a faithful man who had a deep relationship with Jesus, and he loved sharing his life in meaningful ways with others.

The family is asking that if you would like to send a gift in Jim’s honor, that you make it to Hope City, 5101 E. 24th, Kansas City, MO. 64127 – www.hopecitykc.org.

Forerunner Church

12444 Grandview Road

Grandview, Missouri 64030