Birth date: Aug 3, 1925 Death date: Jun 21, 2012
Jimmie Frances VanCalligan, age 86, of Fayetteville, died Thursday June 21, 2012 at the Willard Walker Hospice Home in Fayetteville. She was born August 3, 1925 in Kensett, Arkansas, the daughter of James William Sloan Jr. and Gl Read Obituary
Knowing Grandma Jimmie is a lifelong gift. The countless hours, stories, dreams, and laughs shared with her will always be held near and dear to my heart. With deep love and gratitude, I thank her for her friendship. She has made my life richer.
Jimmie always made my heart smile. Every conversation we had always ended in laughter. I can still picture her smiling face and the pieces of toilet paper left in her hair. She always wrapped her hair in toilet paper at night to keep it in proper form. No matter how bad she was feeling she would never complain and would reply that she was just thankful for everything she had. She was always an inspiration to me and I often told others of her great faith and positive attitude. She will be greatly missed. Heartfelt condolences are sent to Trail, Butch and the entire family.
Jimmie was one of the most delightful clients I had as a lawyer. Whatever caused her to see me, she always had a smile on her face, and a kind word for everyone she saw. She campaigned for me in 2000 when I was elected to be a Circuit Judge. I will never forget her. My condolences to Trail and the rest of the family.
What wonderful messages to read. She was so much to so many people. God brought us together in Bible study and turned us into best friends. THough our ages were more like mother daughter, and she frequently referred to me as her adopted daughter, we became close friends. She had such sorrow in her life yet her faith was even greater. She had to have been anointed by God to be both his champion and his jester! Our sense of humor fit each other and we were often in fits of laughter. Love her, miss her!
Well Jimmie, Till We Meet Again. You will be missed. During the 45 years I knew you we experienced many things. Life as a rollercoaster, we made it thru the good & bad times, sickness & health, and sadness, sorrow, tears and laughter. You were larger than life. You made things happen. I learned the art of re-gifting from you. When Trail & Carrie were younger, the one thing they loved to do was surprise you with a gift. It could be a holiday or special occasion, and they would have me drive very slowly just past your kitchen window, jump out of the car and run to the front door, ring the door bell, leave the gift and run and jump in the car and say tear out mom. This brought them such excitement and joy. They only did this for you Grandma Jimmie. In the theme song of Frank Sinatra,”My Way”, that is how you lived your life. Now the pain and suffering is over and you are home with the Lord. God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference. God is ever constant in his love. Jesus loves you & so do I.
We are all grieving Jimmie's death. She was such a strong and authentic woman. An inspiration for all of us. Her life was filled with both sorrows and joys, all of which she embraced with grace, her signature feistiness, and dignity. By now I'm sure she rests fondly in the loving arms of the God she so fervently believed in and loved. May she rest in peace now and for all eternity.My thoughts and prayers are with all of her family and friends who loved and cared for her these last difficult years.
Jimmie was one of those “characters” one never forgets. She was a “character” for Christ. Everything about her was Jesus. She was one of the strongest Christians I have ever met—strong in love, strong in goodness, strong in joy, and strong in faith, hope, and speech. Of all things on earth, next to the Lord, she loved her son Jim with a fullness of heart that cannot be equaled. And, she loved her grandchildren and great grandchildren and was very proud of them. Jimmie was an encourager. The discipline of hope practiced through years of hardship translated into encouragement and comfort expressed towards others. Jimmie, you gave me a great model of Christian faith, hope, and joy in trials that blesses me every time I think of you. Now, your rest has come. God bless you, and as has been said by others, “See you soon!” Love always, Christina Wilson
Jimmie was part of our family. From the time I met her in the late 1980s, she just seemed to fit in as a surrogate grandmother to my boys. They were 13 months apart in age - the same as her sons, Jim and George. She once kept Adam and Aaron while I went to visit my sister who was in Nashville in the hospital. When I returned, she recounted to me the way they had looked out for each other and expressed concern for me. She took care of them; but more importantly, she got to know them and really cared and appreciated each for his unique characteristics. Since I had lost my mother in 1982, she also filled the role of surrogate mother for me. I think all of us who loved her appreciated her most for her unique character. This involved not wanting to let anyone categorize her except as mother, grandmother, and friend. She wanted everyone to call her grandmother; but she was unlike most grandmothers we knew. (For one, she was never to be considered old.) And, she was a lot more exciting and daring than most grandmothers. She even learned to use e-mail after the age of 70. She had spunk, she had enthusiasm, but mostly she offered unconditional love to those she connected with. People would often call her and talk to her about their problems. While she was a good listener, I felt that she was too long-suffering and needed to mention when she was getting tired on the phone. But, the phone was her connection to those she cared about and loved and she never wanted to appear uncaring or to cut someone short. As she always wrote on birthday and Christmas cards, “Jesus loves you and so does Grandma Jimmie.” I have been blessed from having known Jimmie all these past 24 years. Her close friends Alice and Wilma also meant so much to her and I learned the value of keeping friends throughout the years. Through the good times and the bad, I know that she has fought more battles than any small, grandmotherly type should have to. She was David against Goliath. She was the Energizer bunny's prototype. Her stubborn faith and love kept her going. She was my friend and I will miss her. Thanks to those of her immediate family, Jim, Trail, Regina, Carrie, Quentin, William, Eli for sharing her with us.
Grandma Jimmie,You loved life so much and loved everybody else around you, that always came first. It was to be expected that you were always happy to see the people you loved, even if you saw them just a day before, it felt like long lost friends had been reunited and it was a joyous moment. You did not talk a lot about yourself, but were always centered around your love of God, family, and friends. I hope that now you will take some time for yourself in heaven, but, knowing you, it would not surprise me to know you are still putting other people first up there. Virginia and I love you and will miss you!
I remember when we came over you would always give us money. I love you and miss you Gigi.
