Surrounded by his children, James Lowell Oyer passed into eternity on November 12, 2019, at his home in Archbold. Known for his good humor and generosity, he made a point daily of reminding all he encountered, that there is “always something to be thankful for.”
As a life-long member of the Pettisville and Archbold communities, Jim was born at home on November 30, 1928, to Elmer and Ada (Rupp) Oyer. After attending Zone and Pettisville schools, he graduated from Archbold High School in 1946 where he played basketball and was the lead in school plays.
Jim entered the United States Army in 1950. He served in combat in Korea with Company B of the 19th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division, earning two campaign service stars before his transfer to the Army Reserve in 1952 and honorable discharge in 1956.
In 1952, Jim married Joanne Hall (Cisene, IL) on December 14. After 40 happy years of marriage, Joanne preceded him in death in 1993. He married Ruthann Short in 1994.
Jim retired from Sterling Milk Company in 1990. Possessing a strong work ethic, he was proud that, after 32 years of work for the company, he never took a sick day. His daily rounds visiting Sterling stores in the northwest Ohio region gave him a sense of satisfaction as he made friends with store managers and employees. He was an avid gardener and fisherman and especially enjoyed sharing his endive and other produce with family and friends.
If you lived near Jim during his later years you were often blessed to find that he had shoveled your snow or mowed your lawn. Much to the consternation of his children, he was still mowing his neighbor’s lawn at 90 years of age.
A decades long member of Crossroads Evangelical Church, he served as a deacon and enjoyed singing in the choir and men’s chorus. He canned meat for the Mennonite Central Committee and was a member of two mission trips to the Dominican Republic where he helped build a school. He also worked as part of Mennonite Disaster Service teams to help rebuild communities hit by natural disasters.
Preceding him in death are his parents, Elmer and Ada (Rupp) Oyer and siblings Richard, Helen, Grace, Mary Jane and Elmer, Jr. One brother, Samuel, survives.
Jim and Joanne were blessed with four children, Judith (Mark) Dungan of Kansas City, Missouri, twins Janet and Jack (Holly) of Wauseon and Jeff (Laurie) Oyer of Poolesville, Maryland. He was also blessed by 11 grandchildren: Joel (Jessica) Fether, Bexley, OH; Zachary (Amber) Fether, Winter Garden, FL; Andrew Fether, Delta, OH; Madeline (Sean) Kirkland, St. Louis, MO; Hilary (Phillip) Pinegar, Washington, DC; Mark Dungan, Jr., St. Louis, MO; Bradley Oyer, Gaithersburg, MD; Christopher Oyer, Poolesville, MD; Jeremiah Oyer, Poolesville, MD; Nicole (Nick) Barton, Tampa, FL; Trevor Stottlemyer, Poolesville, MD; and Kelly Stottlemyer, Salisbury, MD. He had six great grandchildren.
After a private interment at Pettisville Cemetery, the family invites you to a celebration of Jim’s life to be held at Crossroads Evangelical Church on Sunday, November 17th at 4PM followed by a time of food and fellowship.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be directed to the Meals on Wheels program at the Fulton County Senior Center, or to a charity of the donor’s choice. www.ShortFuneralHome.com