James Riser

1922 - 2017

James E. Riser

Evansville, IN

"..I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…"

Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt) Retired James E. Riser passed from this life to his eternal home on April 17, 2017. Jim, as he preferred to be called, was born on April 10, 1922 in Steubenville, OH to Richard Shannon Riser and Ernie Belle Buford Riser, both of whom preceded him in death. His siblings, Macel, Mable, Marie, Woodrow, Pauline, Roy, and Betty Lou also preceded him in death. He graduated from Steubenville High School in 1940 and completed two years of college as well as various trade school and correspondence courses.

Jim has a varied and lengthy career beginning with his enlistment in the Army Air Corps in 1942. At that time, he was ferrying planes from various modification centers and then to foreign stations after they were outfitted for the war effort as part of the Ferrying Command. He was later assigned to a C54 squadron and flew missions in the Pacific. His unit flew cargo from island to island, picking up the injured along the way and flying them to Hawaii. Jim later flew 23 missions from India to China, flying "The Hump" over the Himalayas.

Jim was discharged from the Army Air Corps after a ten-day bout and 3-week relapse of malaria. After he arrived in Hawaii, he called "the love of his life," Millie and proposed over the phone. Of course, she said yes! They were married in December, 1945. They initially met in Michigan where she was stationed as a WAC and truck driver who escorted Jim and others to the flight line every morning. After they married, they moved to Akron, OH, and Jim took a job at Siberling Rubber Co. Subsequently, they had their first child, Margo, in October, 1946. The job at Siberling was short-lived, as it was a union shop and on strike much of the time. Jim had a family to care for and needed work, so he re-enlisted in the Air Force. In 1951, the Riser Family grew with the birth of their second child, Debbie, in March of that year.

After re-enlisting, Jim served tours in the Azores Islands, Tacoma, Washington, and Hickham Field, Hawaii, where he served in the Air and Sea Rescue Squadron. His final assignment was at England Air Force Base in Alexandria, LA, flying KB50J tanker aircraft for the 622nd Air Refueling Squadron. He retired after 22 years of military service having served in WWII, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War. After retiring from the Air Force, Jim started the JROTC program at Bolton High School in Alexandria, LA. He was very proud of that accomplishment and went on to be an ROTC instructor at the American High School in Kaiserslautern, Germany, for three years.

Jim recently resided in Evansville, Indiana, surrounded by his family: daughters, Margo Borre (Skip) and Debbie Caputo (Mike); grandchildren, Stacy Spencer (Jonathon), Jason Bryant (Crystal), Jackie Burns (Matt), David Woosley (Kristin), Wendy Moore (Brian), Chris Woosley (Kelly), Cherie Craig (David Steckler), and Nicole Minton (Rick); 22 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren due this fall, along with several nieces and nephews.

Along with his parents and siblings, Jim is preceded in death by this wife, Millie (Elmore), in 1963 and his second wife, Jackie (Brunet), in 2007. He will be buried next to Millie in the National Cemetery in Pineville, Louisiana, at a later date. There will be a gathering and viewing in Evansville, IN, at Pierre Funeral Home, 2601 W. Franklin Street, Evansville, IN from 4:30pm -7:00 pm on April 19th, 2017.

We request that no flowers be sent, but if you are so inclined, please make a donation to the Shriners Hospital for Children, 3100 Samford Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana, 71103. Jim was a very active member of El Karuba and a 50 year plus member of the Masonic Lodge in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Visitation in Alexandria, Louisiana, will be from 11:00 until service time at 1pm on April 24, 2017 at Kramer Funeral Home at 2905 Masonic Dr., Alexandria, LA with burial at the National Cemetery in Pineville, LA.

"…then Jesus said to the centurion, 'Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that moment." Rest in Peace Daddy!