James Matthew VanderMolen was born July 26, 1937, in Ferrysburg, Michigan, to Mony and Harta VanderMolen.  He had an older sister, Jean, younger sister, Audre, and a younger brother, Gary, who died as an infant.  Both his mother's and father's relatives were in that area.  He was raised in Grand Haven, Michigan, near Grand River, Spring Lake and Lake Michigan.  He played high school tennis and was involved in Youth for Christ.  After high school, he attended Bible college in Kansas City.  He met his future wife, Nancy, when they both were working at a summer church camp in Indiana.  They married a week after her high school graduation, at ages 18 and 20, and he was an Okie from then on.  He had become part of her family and was loved like a son.  He used to ride his motorcycle between Oklahoma and Michigan when he visited as a young man.  He started as a lineman at Southwestern Bell and retired from management at age 53.  Jim and Nancy had 2 daughters, their namesakes, Jamie Lynn and Nancy Lynn, whom they raised in Tulsa.  Jamie grew up to become a pediatric clinic manager and raised a family in Tulsa, and Nancy Lynn became a physician in Tulsa.  The family's life revolved around family and church.  Jim sang in choir, played the harmonica, loved old gospel music, particularly George Beverly Shea.  Jim Reeves was his favorite country singer.  He volunteered for everything, played softball, baseball, and chess, was very strong and athletic, practiced, coached and cheered the girls in sports, worked as a butcher outside of his regular job, always helping family, neighbors and friends.  He was an amiable, kind, generous, strong, manly man with an unmatched work ethic.  He especially loved tennis, playing it and following the professionals.  Family games were cards and dominoes.  He rarely sat still.  He liked to tinker around fixing things, especially toy trains or clocks.  He could take apart and reassemble just about anything.  They spent every summer on the beaches of Grand Haven, his hometown, with his side of the family.  Camping was a family favorite and started with a pop-up camper, an RV and then a motor home. Later they had a son Mark, moved to Bartlesville, and got a house on Grand Lake where Jim particularly enjoyed boating, fishing and taking the grandkids skiing and tubing.  He gave up the motorcycle but had a variety of boats and jet skiis.  They moved to Bella Vista, Arkansas their last years to watch grandkids grow, but Jim kept strong connections with friends in Bartlesville.  Nancy was the love of his life.  They were married for 68 years.  He was devoted and cared for her at home for a year after she had a stroke.  He was an optimist and even after losing Nancy, he continued to have an unfailing zest for life making plans to live rather than to die.  He unexpectedly though got sick and died on June 1, 2026.  His parents, siblings, in-laws, wife and oldest daughter, Jamie, predeceased him.  He's survived by his younger daughter, Nancy, son, Mark, Jamie's children, Lyndsay, Tommy, Andrew James and Amanda, Mark's children, Andrew, Karina, Veronica and Luke, and their families, including many great-grandchildren.  He ever longed to be on the water, and to see Grand Haven again.  He always had Lake Michigan's live camera of Grand Haven beach and lighthouse on his computer screen.  As a young man, he had considered joining the Coast Guard, becoming a State Trooper, and being in ministry, but he chose to prioritize his commitment to his family.  He also volunteered for the military during the Vietnam War but wasn't accepted due to having a young family.  A memorial service will be held at 3:30pm July 26 on what would have been his 89th birthday at New Life Church in Bella Vista, Arkansas. Memorial donations can be made to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association or NewLifeRanch.com.