James H. Clark (Jim to friends and family) was born in Corinth, MS on September 27, 1938. He grew up on the family farm and spent his free time fishing the lakes and hunting the woods in that area. After graduating from Corinth High School, he attended Mississippi State University, and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, the first in his family to attend college.

After graduating, Jim went to work in the paper industry and enlisted in the Mississippi National Guard, where he served as a radio operator in an armored cavalry unit. His unit was activated to quell the riot which broke out in response to the 1962 integration of the University of Mississippi. After clearing the rioters at bayonet-point the unit remained camped on the campus for several days, until regular Army troops took over.

During the 1970s, Jim owned and operated a shooting range in Mobile, AL. He was an avid skeet shooter and lifetime member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. He also had a literary and artistic side. He loved reading, collected watercolors, made sketches in his free time, and occasionally composed poetry. As an animal lover, he often reminisced about his favorite dog (a Doberman mix) and how he trained her to climb a ladder. In his later years, Jim enjoyed cutting and arranging flowers from the family garden.

Jim eventually settled in south Alabama and met Debbie Lassitter at a square dance. The two were wed in August 1985 and their son, John, was born in December 1992. Jim retired early and was a stay-at-home dad for most of John’s time in school. He prepared breakfast each morning, coached little league baseball, and helped with studying and homework. During these formative years, he instilled in his son a drive for excellence and a refusal to accept mediocrity.

In 2003, the family bought a 3-acre farm plot and Jim sub-contracted the construction of a new family home, doing large portions of the interior finish work himself. With the help of Debbie and John, the bare farm field was transformed by the planting of over 80 species of trees and shrubs, while maintaining habitat space for native wildlife.

Jim passed away on March 19, 2023, in the presence of his wife of 37 years, Debbie Kaye Lassitter Clark. He was preceded in death by his father, Samuel Perry Clark, and his mother, Kay T. Hart Clark. He is survived by his wife, Debbie; his son, John (Bailey); a brother, Sam Clark; and a sister, Jane Clark Summers, both of Corinth, MS.

The family ask that in lieu of sending flowers any well-wishers make a donation in Jim’s honor to the Nature Conservancy at https://www.nature.org/en-us/membership-and-giving/donate-to-our-mission/

Expressions of condolence for the family may be made at www.hughesfh.com. Hughes Funeral Home, 26209 Pollard Road, Daphne, AL, is assisting the family.