Obituary for James Batson

James Edward Batson

January 16, 1947 – August 26, 2017

James “Jim” Edward Batson passed away on Saturday, August 26, 2017 at his home in Ponca City. He was 70 years old.

A funeral ceremony to remember Jim will be held on Friday, September 1, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the Trout Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Newkirk Cemetery.

Friends and loved ones may come by the funeral home to pay their respects on Wednesday and Thursday, August 30-31, 2017 until 8:00 p.m.

Jim was born on January 16, 1947 in Enid, Oklahoma to his parents, Dale E. and Betty B. (Johnson) Batson. He graduated from Enid High School in 1965 and from Oklahoma State University in 1970 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. After graduation, he went to work for Continental Oil Company in Ponca City. Through the years, he worked in Upstream Accounting, Pipe Line Accounting, Accounting Systems, and Natural Gas Accounting. During the summer of 1980, he worked in Cheyenne, Wyoming as a Cost Accountant on a Pipe Line Project. In 1982, he spent a year and a half in the South Texas area on another Pipe Line Project. In later years, he owned and operated Jim’s Liquor Emporium.

Jim was a former member of the Oklahoma 45th National Guard and a member of the Jaycees, a young men’s organization, from 1974 to 1983 when he “aged out.” During that time, he was the Ponca City Chapter President in 1979, the Oklahoma Jaycee District Director in 1980, and the Oklahoma Jaycee Regional Director in 1981. He received the honors of Oklahoma Senator No. 33019 and Oklahoma Governor No. 41 for his work and leadership on local community projects in Ponca City and his participation in the state organization.

Jim enjoyed reading spy novels, golfing, playing pool and darts, and following OSU football, basketball, and wrestling. He and his wife, Marsha, enjoyed traveling in their RV trailer to many Oklahoma lakes, spending winters in Central Texas and one special trip to the east coast of Florida to visit his brother.

He will be deeply missed by his wife, Marsha of the home, one daughter, Tonya of Mesa, Arizona, one son, Kyle and wife Shanell, grandson, Jayden, granddaughters, Nevaeh and Melody, and one brother, Gerald, all of Ponca City.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and brother, Robert.

Memorial contributions may be made in Jim’s honor to Hospice of North Central Oklahoma, 445 Fairview Ave., Ponca City, OK 74601.

Source: Trout Funeral Home