James Carrol Starr was born to Charles and Marie Starr on December 10, 1935, in Eastland County near Cisco, Texas. Jim passed away peacefully on April 25, 2025, in Edmond, Oklahoma.

He was the third of four sons. Jim lived for the first thirteen years of his life in Texas. In the summer of 1949 when Jim was 13 1/2 years old, his parents decided to take the family to the Pacific Northwest to work for the summer in the fields. They arrived in Caldwell, Idaho on June 19, and made their home there.

In the fall of 1950 Jim enrolled at Marsing High School. Jim was president of his Freshman and Sophomore Class and in his junior year was elected President of the Student Body. Jim played football, basketball and tennis during his high school years and excelled in all. He graduated as Salutatorian of his class in 1954.

He started dating Arlene LaRue during his senior year of high school. Together, they attended the University of Idaho for one year and then Jim transferred to Texas A &M. Jim and Arlene married on September 1, 1955. Four years later Jim graduated with degrees in Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering.

After graduation, Jim took a job with Ingersoll Rand in New York State. He transferred to San Francisco in the fall of 1959 and continued to work as a sales engineer for Ingersoll Rand for five years. Jim then went to work for Chevron for the next 30 years, working first as a design
construction engineer, then as a plant superintendent, and eventually became a plant manager. He worked in Richmond, California, Kennewick, Washington and Rock Springs. He retired with Chevron in 1992 and went to work for an underground soda ash mine as
superintendent of the processing mill. After two years he left to become the Executive Director of the Southwest Wyoming Industrial Association.

Jim’s life was greatly influenced by his relationship with Jesus Christ. At age 12 at the First Baptist Church in Coleman, Texas, Jim accepted Jesus as his savior. Jim spent his life being involved in the local church. He was a deacon and a teacher for many years, served in leadership positions and faithfully visited people in their homes and at the hospital. He was a member of Quail Springs Baptist Church.

Jim was also very involved in denominational work. He was on the Executive Board for the Wyoming Southern Baptist Convention, the Executive Board for the Texas Southern Baptist Convention, and the Executive Board for the Southern Baptist Convention.

Jim was passionate about mission work taking four mission trips to Paraguay, two mission trips to Nicaragua and serving with Arlene for 18 months as volunteer missionaries in Hawaii.

He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Arlene, his three children: Debbie (Ron) of Rock Springs, James Jr. (Lynn) of Edmond, OK, and John (Susan) of Cypress, TX, nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, his brother, Charles and many nephews and nieces.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Tom and Purvis, and his sisters-in-law Betty and Kathy.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Jim will be greatly missed by his family, his church family, and many devoted friends.