Jim Staten

It is with much sadness that we announce that our beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, James "Jim" Doak Staten, 90, of O'Fallon, IL, born on September 26, 1935, in Shenandoah, IA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Eden Village Retirement Center in Glen Carbon, IL. He was preceded in death by his parents, George D. Staten and Hazel Lucille Staten (nee Burke).

Jim moved to Lincoln, NE while a teenager and it was there that he met the love of his life, Donna, while attending Lincoln High School in 1952. After graduation, Jim and Donna moved to Harlingen, TX when he joined the U.S. Air Force Aviation Cadet Program. Jim was a loving husband who regularly brought Donna fresh flowers to brighten her day. When Donna began to have health issues, Jim lovingly took care of her without complaint. At age 90, he would drive daily to visit Donna at Eden Village never missing a day except for bad weather or illness. He never gave up hope that she would be able to recover and move back home again. Married for 68 years, Jim and Donna will always be remembered for the loyalty, devotion and love they shared.

Jim was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and earned his navigator wings upon graduation from the Aviation Cadet program. He initially served as an instructor navigator for the cadet program and later was assigned to fly C-130's at Tachikawa AB, Japan. Follow on assignments included Sewart AFB, TN, Ubon AB, Thailand, Little Rock AFB, AR, Maxwell AFB, AL, and Scott AFB, IL. During his career, Jim held many positions of responsibility including Evaluator Navigator on AC-130 Gunships, Wing Executive Officer, Squadron Commander, and Deputy Director of Command & Control, HQ MAC DO. Jim was a combat veteran with over 800 hours of combat time and a proud member of the AC-130 Spectre alumni. As an AC-130 gunship navigator in Southeast Asia, he flew many dangerous night combat missions earning multiple Air and Expeditionary Medals. Other awards/medals included the Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross. Jim was also a longtime member of the Military Officers Association of America as well as the Air Force Association. After 25 years of service, Jim retired in 1981 with the rank of Colonel. After retiring from the Air Force, Jim and Donna were small business owners, running Sparks Tuneup & Auto Repair in Belleville for several years.

In earlier years, Jim and Donna enjoyed visiting their children and granddaughters, often driving across country to visit them in Arizona and California. Jim and family enjoyed taking vacations to Gatlinburg and Tullahoma in Tennessee, multiple locations in Florida, and other locations along the Gulf Coast. He also enjoyed taking camping trips to Galveston, TX and various lakes and rivers across Arkansas. In addition, many weekends were spent visiting Donna's parents in Hot Springs, AR where the family would spend many hours on the pontoon boat fishing and enjoying time together. He also became an avid Nebraska Cornhusker fan after falling for Donna and meeting her family of Big Red supporters! After moving to O'Fallon, he enjoyed working in his vegetable garden as well as reading and solving crossword puzzles with Donna. He and Donna also loved watching the birds and squirrels while sipping a cold beverage on their patio. Jim was a loyal friend and was always willing to help a friend in need. He loved driving with friends along the Mississippi River to observe the eagles soaring above the bluffs, going to dinner and the theater with friends and attending the weekly Coffee Klatch with his buddies. Jim was also an active member of the O'Fallon First United Methodist Church serving for many years as both Head Usher as well as Chair, Board of Trustees.

Jim was a humble man who wasn't one to brag about his accomplishments. No matter how difficult things got or how challenging the task, he never complained. He was often fond of saying "nothing in life is easy" and when life got hard, Jim stubbornly refused to admit defeat. He never lost his sense of humor even when he faced increasingly difficult life challenges. Jim was a loving husband, father, and grandfather and his family and friends will miss him terribly.

Left to cherish Jim's memory are his beloved wife, Donna Jean Staten (nee Rine); two children, Gregory (Kathleen) Staten of Ankeny, IA, Lisa (David Tucker) Staten of Zionsville, IN; one sister, Helen VanHoozer of Iowa City, IA; four grandchildren, Kelsey (Reid) Petersen, Jillian Staten, Sarah Tucker, Allie Tucker; and one great-grandchild, Mia Petersen.

Jim's family would like to thank the many doctors, nurses, and caregivers that took care of him over the last few weeks and months. In particular, we would like to thank the staff of Eden Village Care Center for their care and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials may be made in Jim's name to either St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; https://www.stjude.org, Wounded Warrior Project; https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org, or Eden Village Retirement Center; https://www.edenvillage.org/donations. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.schildknechtfh.com.

Services will be held at a later date.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Schildknecht Funeral Home.