James Gilbert Sandlin's Obituary
James Gilbert Sandlin, 80, of Fayetteville died Monday, April 17, 2017, at home. He was born April 2, 1937, in Van Buren to Wiley Gilbert and Hazel Sandlin. Jim attended Fayetteville Public Schools and graduated in 1955 from Fayetteville High School, where he ran track and played football and basketball. He earned a degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas, graduating in 1959. He was a member of the Sigma Nu and Beta Alpha Psi fraternities. When he was in the ninth grade, Jim began dating Jo Ann Wester, the start of a relationship that would last more than 50 years. On Aug. 15, 1959, he married her at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville. After graduation from college, Jim began a lifelong career as a certified public accountant, working at Douglas Walker. In 1986, he created Sandlin, Parham and Anderson, joining Don Anderson and Reece Parham in the firm’s office on Joyce Boulevard. He retired as a partner in 2005, but continued the work his clients entrusted to him until illness kept him away from the office. In Jim, hundred of clients found a man of integrity and extensive knowledge of business accounting and tax laws. He was a life member of the Arkansas Society of Certified Public Accountants, an honor that marks more than 40 years of continuous service as a licensed CPA. After Jo Ann's death in 2003, he married Renee Inmon of Siloam Springs. For 13 years, the couple made a home in Springdale and most recently in Fayetteville. Jim enjoyed traveling with Renee and spending time together with family. He was a member of Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville. Jim enjoyed playing golf, fishing and hunting with friends and family. He enjoyed Razorbacks sports and was an encyclopedia of knowledge about the Hogs. Sisters Mary L. Holt of Conway and Doris Drake of Farmington also preceded him in death. Survivors include his wife, Renee; three sons, Scott Sandlin and wife, Allison, of Fayetteville, Craig Sandlin and wife, Joanne Brown, of Leoti, Kan., and Carl Sandlin of Lowell; a daughter, Sheryl Sandlin Harton and husband, Greg, of Fayetteville; four grandchildren, Houston and Hunter Sandlin and Eli and Jett Harton, all of Fayetteville; and a sister, Helen Stockton of Springdale. Survivors also include Jim's expanded family created by his union with Renee, including her daughter, Stephanie Bishop, and husband, Tony, of Fayetteville and their children, Bailey and Tyler; daughter Diana Gray and husband, Johnny, of Siloam Springs and their children, Justin, Dylan and Nick; and son David Inmon and wife Amy of Chicago and their children Dan, Sam and Hannah. Jim’s wish was for friends and family to join in fellowship, so no formal service is planned. Visitation is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, April 21 at Nelson-Berna Funeral Home in Fayetteville. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Washington Regional Friends of Hospice 325 Longview Drive Fayetteville Arkansas 72703, or a charity of your choice.
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