James Allen Dille

James (Jim) Dille passed away peacefully on the evening of November 11th, after 93 well-lived years. Jim had celebrated Veterans Day in good spirits, visiting with fellow residents and caregivers prior to retiring to his room.

Jim was born to parents Bessie and Clarence E. (Mack) Dille in October 1932. He moved with his mother and sister to the Grafton area in central Illinois (IL). Jim graduated from Jersey Community High School in 1950 and, at age 17, entered the Air Force, serving four years. After completing basic training, Jim took a ship to Korea to join the war effort, where he was assigned to an uninhabited island to monitor and report on North Korean plane movements.

After his Air Force service, Jim returned to IL and took a job with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in St. Louis. He worked his way into positions of greater responsibility throughout his career, most of which required relocation to a different city. His career began with repairing and maintaining airport equipment and facilities, and ended almost 40 years later as an FAA manager responsible for airport facilities in the Southwest Region.

Jim met Lois, the love of his life, in the St. Louis area when his career was just beginning. They married in 1956, and were together for 68 years, until Lois's death. They were partners in life and supported each other through each challenge they faced. Lois and Jim had three daughters, Beth, Carol, and Marcy.

Following completion of the FAA management program, Jim accepted a position in a regional office. His next promotion was to a sector manager position, which allowed him to get back to the field work he missed.

Jim's last promotion moved the family to AR. He retired several years later, after a long, successful career with FAA. Jim and Lois loved their condo overlooking a golf course, and actively participated in both their AR community and church.

Jim was a kind and good man; generous, hard-working, principled, logical, dependable, determined, authentic, and reliable. Jim was an intelligent, curious, fun-loving man who was self-reliant. He had and instilled a strong work ethic in others. He held himself and others to high standards but never expected more from others than he did himself. He was dedicated to his family, happy to share his knowledge and experience with others.

Jim encouraged his family and relatives to get a good education and work towards whatever career they wanted. He enjoyed the outdoors and had a sense of adventure - willing to go new places and try new things. He enjoyed going deep-sea fishing with friends, as well as annual trips to visit national parks and sites such as Santa Fe, Sedona, and the Grand Canyon with family. Trying new restaurants and foods was a treat for Jim. He loved music, particularly jazz and blues.

Jim is survived by his three daughters: Carol Hatch, Marcy (James) Lindsey, and Beth (Jim) Kuhnert, his grandson, James (Jeanne-Marie) Meyer, his great-grandchildren, Ella & Ezra Meyer, and step-great-grandsons, Jonathan Yates and Caleb Kuhnert, along with nephews, nieces, and their families, cousins, and other family members.

He was preceded in death by his wife Lois, his mother, father, and stepfather, his siblings and in-laws and their respective spouses, as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins. We gratefully thank the caregivers of The Springs at Fairfield Bay for their attentive and kind care. A private service will be held at a later date. Those wanting to remember Jim in some way should consider making a donation in his memory to The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the American Diabetes Association, the VFW, or any charity of your choice.

Clinton Funeral Service is honored to have been entrusted with arrangements for the Dille Family. We welcome you to provide your thoughts and memories of James on our Memory Wall.