Jim Waugh

ROCK HILL, SC: "Big" Jim Waugh, born November 25, 1933 in Lancaster, Ohio, died Tuesday, February 16, 2010 in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Jim was the son of Jesse and Mary Waugh of Lancaster, Ohio, both deceased. Jim's sister, Joyce, died on January 7, 2010 in Lancaster, Ohio.
Early in life, Jim decided to become a major league baseball player when he grew up. Jim graduated from Lancaster High School in June of 1951 where he excelled in baseball, basketball and golf. After graduation, Jim tried out with the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams were interested but Jim chose the Pirates and negotiated a contract with baseball legend, Branch Rickey and began his professional baseball career that summer. On August 9, 1952, at eighteen years of age, Jim scattered seven hits over nine innings against the Chicago Cubs in his first major league start to become the youngest pitcher in Pirate history to win a major league game.
Jim married Joyce Clark on October 11, 1952. They had three children together, Jeanne Taylor of Scott Depot, WV, Steve Waugh of Madison, WI, and Sue Green of Great Mills, MD, who will carry on Jim's endearing mannerisms in perpetuity.
Jim hung up his spikes in 1957 after several years of attempting to rehabilitate an injury to his pitching arm.
Jim graduated from The Ohio State University in 1963 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. Jim continued to play ball in recreational leagues while pursuing his career in manufacturing and raising a family.
In 1970, Jim and Joyce divorced and Jim embarked on a series of jobs that lead him, eventually, to Winchester Indiana where he met his third wife, Vivian. They married in 1978. They lived together until Vivian's death from cancer in 2005. In the twenty-seven years of the marriage, Jim gained the affection and reverence of his four step-children, Dodie Ferrell of Nashville, TN, Richard Ferrell of Nashville, TN, Jerry Ferrell of Keller, TX and April Steen of Ft. Worth, TX.
As Jim advanced in years and wisdom, he began to appreciate his accomplishments in baseball and life. He began to research his baseball career with a new perspective; one that allowed for the rarity of becoming a major league baseball player. He published articles in "The Black and Gold," the alumni magazine of the Pittsburgh Pirates and gave an address to the Society of American Baseball Researchers in May of 2009, telling about the different managers he had the opportunity to play with and for in his youth.
In 2007, Jim met Julie Lessard who remained his companion until the end of his life. The couple shared many happy times together.
Jim was active in the First United Methodist Church of Keller, attending services and Sunday school.
The funeral service will be held on Friday, February 26, 2010 at the First United Methodist Church of Keller at 1025 Johnson Road in Keller, TX. Viewing at 9:00 a.m. followed by the service at 10:00.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Keller.