James Depoy

James Arthur DePoy was born December 21, 1910, at the family home near Cawker City, KS, to James Newton and Edith Ann Stedman DePoy. He was the third of nine children. He died September 18, 2010, three months short of his 100th birthday.
Jim graduated from Cawker City High School in 1930. Over the years, he had many jobs farming and ranching in Kansas and Washington. He joined the CCC in 1935 and trained for two years as a storekeeper while working as a tool room clerk in Ionia and Quinter, KS.
In 1942, Jim joined the United States Army. He served in the Pacific Theater of WWII in the 1088th Engineers. He was a carpenter working on bridges and buildings in the Philippines, in Leyte and Okinawa. He received his honorable discharge in 1946.
After working on a farm near McCracken, KS, a sheep ranch near Scappoose, OR, and for Boeing in Wichita, KS, he moved his family to Beloit in 1958 where he worked for KDOT in highway maintenance. He retired in 1973 and moved to Portis, KS. In 1998, he and his wife moved to Nortonville to be near family. He began living at Village Villa, Nortonville, KS, in January of 2003.
He was a member of the Beloit Free Methodist Church, serving the church in many positions, and was a lifetime member of VFW Post 7743, Osborne, KS, which honored him in January 2001 as Veteran of the Month, in recognition of "service to our great country."
Jim was married to Wilma Carter February 24, 1932. They had one son, James Ernest, born January 23, 1933 and died January 22, 1936 of spinal meningitis. They divorced in 1938.
He was married to Mary Evelyn Snook on October 3, 1942. She preceded him in death on January 19, 2003. They had three children: Karen Sue, Gordon Newman (deceased) and Barry Lee. Jim was also preceded in death by his parents, three brothers; George, Harry and Sam and three sisters; Bertrice Alspaugh, Cleda Hawkins and Rosalie Kirgis.
Jim is survived by daughter, Karen and her husband, William Strickler of Valley Falls, KS, son, Barry and his wife, Ann of Nortonville, KS, grandchildren; Tracy Hubbard, Justin, Shane and Jimmy DePoy, Kristina, Matthew, Michael and Marshal Strickler and eight great-grandchildren.
He is also survived by his sister, Dena Wilson of Garden City, KS and brother, Maurice DePoy of Cawker City, KS, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
James was cremated. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at the Cawker City United Methodist Church, Cawker City, KS. Private inurnment will take place in Prairie Grove Cemetery in Cawker City, KS. Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel in Topeka and McDonald-Roberts Funeral Home in Beloit are assisting the family.