Jimmie “Jim” Dale Harper was born to Arthur Thomas (A.T.) and Lena Minnie Dilbeck Harper on February 23, 1935, in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He passed away on August 04, 2026, in Kingwood, Texas. He is survived by his wife, Patti Lou Harper of the home. They were married for 52 years. He is survived by his children Steve Harper (Hayley), College Station, Texas; Sharon Keeler (Berry) Fairfax, Oklahoma; Jodie Foster (Kathy) Culpepper, Virginia; Rhonda Gaul (William) Phoenix, Arizona; and Calvin Foster (Georgia) Smyrna, Tennessee. Jim is survived by his sister Beverly Buffington (Bob), Kerrville, Texas. His grandchildren Rachael Harper, Grant Harper (Elizabeth), Andrea Watts (John), Matthew Scott (Kayla), Kari Longman (Tim), Joshua Foster (Amber), Jacob Foster (Charlotte), Kylie Foster, Jeffrey Gaul (Jessica), Bradley Gaul (Christina), Alicia Ritter (Bryan), Codie Foster (Kacee), and Chad Foster (Rachel). He is the proud Papa to great grandchildren Briggs Allen, Faith Moreland (David), Aaron Watts, Olivia Scott, Ryan Scott, Annie May Scott, Emerson “Emmie” Longman, Samantha Longman, Theodore “Rory” Longman, Isabella “Bella” Foster, Jacob Foster, Amelia Foster, Jeffrey Gaul, Julianne Gaul, Josephine “Josie” Gaul, Madison Gaul, Hannah Gaul, Jackson Ritter, Finleigh Ritter, Sadie Ritter and one great-great grandchild, Henry David Moreland. He is preceded in death by his parents A.T. and Lena Harper and his brother Dwayne Harper.

Jim was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He graduated from Ponca City High School in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He worked for the Ponca City Police Department. Proudly served in the United States Army and Army Reserves, worked for Conoco Oil Refinery in Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. After retirement he also worked for the Kingwood Country Club.

If you knew Jim, Jimmie, “Harper” or Papa, you knew he loved people! He told stories, so many stories about the people in his life. If you spent many days with him, you probably heard the intonation in his voice change when he talked about his family and friends. You could feel the love he had for them. He would tell the story and then give a little wink and smile. It was almost as if he re-lived every moment each time he spoke it. The last text I received from him was August 6, 2024. It said, “Good morning sweetheart, it’s a good morning”. That’s the way he lived, enjoying each and every day. He has battled dementia in the last few years and the stories and conversations are truly missed.

Jim loved his wife, Patti. He loved her with his whole heart. He said he enjoyed the mornings with her on the patio or at the breakfast table drinking coffee. He said they rose early to spend mornings together before the busyness of the day started. He also loved playing dominos with her. He said he would let her win just to see her smile.

He also loved his family. He said one defining moment of his life was when Steve was born. He said it changed him; it made him realize life had meaning. He said special memories were when Sharon and Rhonda cooked Thanksgiving dinner with Gran-Gran and how Jodie and Calvin played football on the lawn with the grandchildren. He said he missed having holidays together but understood that everyone lived so far apart. A special memory Rhonda shared was when she first called him “dad”. He cried, hugged her and said he was honored to be her dad. Sharon shared a special memory of a fishing trip in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. They went Halibut fishing. They didn’t catch anything, but the time spent at the lake was a cherished memory. In a memory shared by Calvin, he and Jim were driving to work when a mama and baby moose were standing in the middle of the road and wouldn’t let them pass. They waited together in the truck allowing the moose and baby to slowly move out of the way.

Papa loved his grandchildren. He loved spending time with them. He spoke of the time Grant came to visit with his son, the time he visited Rachael at her office, how proud he was of Andrea Leigh, Kari Ashton, and Alicia Nicole for being good mothers to their babies. He spoke with an overwhelming sense of pride about his grandchildren who served in the military- Jeffrey, Jacob, and Joshua. He talked about Codie and his football teams, Chad and Starbucks- he always loved the coffee you brought home. He spoke of Bradley in California and how proud he was that he was an engineer. He said he always wanted to visit him in California and then make it to Hawaii one day (his dream trip). He talked about Kylie Paige and her school and the places she visited. He always called the girls by their middle names. It was a term of endearment for him. It was “Sharon Kaye, Rhonda Lynn, Rachel Elizabeth, Andrea “Annie Leigh”, Kari Ashton, Alicia Nicole, and Kylie Paige”. When asked why he used middle names for the girls, he said with a big smile “because they are special”.

He loved golf! He would take us to the Kingwood Country Club any chance he had. We would go to the driving range and then to the pool for mozzarella sticks. Rhonda shared a special memory that Jim let them pick out a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses from the Country Club, at his cost. He played so many rounds of golf! If he wasn’t playing golf, he was reading about it or watching it. He was determined to have a golfer in the family. In a memory shared by Rhonda, Jim designed and had a personalized set of clubs made for several of us. Rhonda was a recipient of the personalized clubs – she still has them and cherishes how special they made her feel. Steve shared a special memory of a golf trip he took with Jim to Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon and Camus Meadows and Chambers Bay in Washington just two months before the US Open at Chambers Bay. They played at Camus Meadows and enjoyed lunch together overlooking the Puget Sound at Chambers Bay. Calvin shared a memory of when he played in the Fairfax Golf Tournament with Jim. He said, “I wasn’t much help, but Jim did great!” They placed third.

He also loved football. I know he lived in Texas, but he secretly rooted for Oklahoma Football because of a high school friend who played for the Oklahoma Sooners. He loved attending his Ponca City High School Reunions. It was an annual event he looked forward to. Some of the memories he shared were about his high school days. His first date was to the junior -senior prom. He learned to drive by circling the Ponca City Lake. He said it took him several weeks before he felt confident enough to venture out onto the roadway.

He hated cheese, but he loved ice cream sundaes. It was a special treat after dinner. He loved vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup. If you were lucky, you could have 2 scoops.

He would give the best hugs. Not the customary “just because hug”. He would hug you and wouldn’t let go. He would hug you like it was the last time he would see you. Uncle Jodie, you give those same hugs. Tight, meaningful- the ones that last.

Someone once said, “It’s the dash between the dates that matter”. That is true. What a life he lived. He loved and was loved. He will be greatly missed, but he lives on through each of us. Hold on to those memories. Smile and think of him and wake up knowing that each day is a gift from God.