James R. Scoggins Sr.
S SGT US ARMY AIR FORCES
WWII

---

Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at St. Mary's Catholic Church. Rev. Jeremy Myers of the church will officiate and Father Fred Caldwell of Coppell, Texas will be the concelebrant. The burial will follow at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery with an honor guard from Sheppard Air Force Base conducting military graveside honors. Arrangements are under the direction of Waldo Funeral Home. 
J. R. was born November 3, 1921 in Dorchester, Texas in Grayson County, the son of Arthur Blair Scoggins and Eva Thomason Scoggins. He was a graduate of Southmayd High School and married Lorena Lang April 6, 1942 in Sherman at St. Mary's Catholic Church. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corp during World War II in the European Theater, where he flew as a tail gunner on a B-26 as a member of the 443rd Bomb Squad, 320th Bomb Group. After he served his country he came home to farm the land in Dorchester and also worked at Duke Electric in Sherman to help support his family and meet payments on the property. Eventually he added a dairy farm and he quit his job in Sherman to devote all his time to work on the farm. He began working at Johns-Manville in Denison in March of 1958 and was a shift supervisor for 25 years, retiring in 1982. He was a member of the JM Quarter Century Club. 
Since his retirement he devoted his time to his family and his church, and to the Knight's of Columbus as a 4th Degree Knight. He loved to fish and travel in their motor home all over the country, but Colorado was especially their favorite spot. He was a faithful member of St. Mary's Catholic Church where he served as an usher for many years, cooked turkey dinners and volunteered for various other church activities. He also was a devoted volunteer for the Wilson N. Jones Auxilary. It is well known that J. R. never met a stranger, was very proud of his military service, was an avid gardener and loved to grow roses, and enjoyed cooking and trying new recipes. He liked helping other people in need and was proud of the fact that there was nothing he could not fix. 
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lorena Scoggins of Sherman; four sons, J. R. Scoggins, Jr. of Sherman, Richard Scoggins and his wife Sandra of Del Rio, Texas, Michael Scoggins and his wife Cynthia of Austin, Texas and Mark Scoggins and his wife Dianne of Denison; four daughters, Eva Scoggins and significant other Mike Richard of Howe, Jan Currans and her husband Kevin of Arlington, Texas, Cathy Johnson and her husband Tommy, and, Susan Bilyeu and her husband Walter, all of Sherman; sisters, Clemmie Scoggins, Sybil Howell and Hope Scoggins, all of Sherman; also twelve grandchildren, eleven great grandchildren, 1 niece, 1 nephew and 1 grand niece. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Arthur F. Scoggins, and sisters Opal Scoggins and Priscilla Scoggins. 
Members of the Knight's of Columbus will serve as pallbearers.
A rosary will be recited by Deacon John LeBlanc at 6:00 PM Tuesday evening, followed by a time of visitation in the Waldo Funeral Chapel In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts be made to the St. Anne's Church Building Fund through St. Mary's Catholic Church, 727 S. Travis, Sherman, Texas 75090.