James W. Grimes

James W. "Bill" Grimes Jr., age 96 of Crawfordsville, went to be with the Lord at 3:10 pm, January 20, 2022, at Franciscan Health Crawfordsville.

He was born March 3, 1925, in Danville, Illinois, the son of James W. "Bill" Sr. and Jewell (Pyle) Grimes. He attended Elmwood Grade School until 1935 when the family moved to Wallace, Indiana, where he graduated from Wallace Hight School in 1942. Following graduation Bill worked at the R.R. Donnelley & Sons company in Crawfordsville until he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in March 1943. He underwent Boot Camp training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, and then attended Navy Radio School in Auburn, Alabama, followed by specialized convoy training at the Compool School in Noroton Heights, Connecticut. As a Radioman 3/Class Bill served in the Navy Armed Guard which provided gunnery and communications personnel aboard the nation's merchant ships in World War II. He served aboard several ships, seeing duty in the Southwest Pacific and in the Armed Guard office in Panama, finally on a sea-going tugboat moving a section of a floating dry-dock across the Pacific when that war ended in August 1945. His closing six months were served aboard a Navy transport returning troops for the Philippines until March 1946.

After discharge and returning home, Bill worked briefly with a construction crew in the Wallace area and then, responding to a call to the Gospel ministry, he trained for Christian service at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and the Grand Rapids Baptist Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

He married Kathryne Jackson of Wallace on December 18, 1949, after being approved for missionary service in Germany by Baptist Mid-Missions in August, 1949. Bill was ordained to the ministry in 1950, and he and Mary K. were commissioned for missionary service by Pleasant View Baptist Church in Crawfordsville. They served the Lord in Munich and Weilheim, South Germany until 1959. At that time their infant son contracted polio and it was necessary for the family to return to America for extended follow-up care. They continued the Home Missions department of Baptist Mid-Missions, serving several churches in Indiana until retirement from active duty with the Mission in 1993. At that time, they moved to Kingman, Indiana where they helped in their home church, Yeddo Baptist, also with teaching and pulpit supply to area churches. In 2007 they moved to an apartment building in Crawfordsville, Indiana, where Bill taught a Bible Class for the past several years.

Bill is survived by his wife Mary K.; two daughters, Judith Ann (Michael) Kuriatnyk of Gig Harbor, WA, and MaryRuth (Philip) Taylor of Crawfordsville; a sister, Lois Jean Larsh; eleven grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by a son, James William III and a daughter, Deborah Sue.

Visitation will be Friday, January 28, 2022, from 12:00 - 1:30pm with service following, Rev. Phil Taylor officiating at Sanders Shoemaker Funeral Care, 202 Bratton Road, in Waynetown. The service will be recorded and can be viewed on his obituary page at www.sandersfuneralcare.com Military honors will be conducted by Legion Post 72 Honor Guard and the United States Navy. Buiral will follow at Waynetown Masonic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be sent to Baptist Mid-Missions earmarked "Jewish Missions" PO Box 308011,Cleveland, OH 44130-8011. Share memories and condolences online at www.sandersfuneralcare.com