On July 1, 2020, James DeVere Cleveland passed away at the age of 75 at his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a difficult battle with Amyloidosis. Private family services are pending.
James was born to Velma Nadine and Wilbur DeVere Cleveland in 1944 in Des Moines, Iowa. Weighing only 4 lbs 8 oz at birth, his mother often referred to him as a "miracle baby" throughout his life and spent many years doting on her only child. Born in a peak time of conflict during World War II, James' father, DeVere, was overseas serving as a US Army Officer in France. DeVere did not meet baby James until he was a year and a half old - in 1945, when the Nazis surrendered, the war ended, and DeVere returned to the United States to be with his growing family.
Soon after, DeVere and Velma operated Gambles Hardware store in Colfax, Iowa, where they also lived above the storefront in a modest apartment with young James for several years. They eventually purchased their permanent home in Colfax in 1953 (for $12,000!), and James grew up in that charming house on the hill for the rest of his childhood years.
Throughout his school years, Jim participated in basketball, baseball and football. He was Student Council President and Mixed Chorus President his senior year of high school. After high school, Jim attended the University of Northern Iowa and joined the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity in 1964. He eventually earned a Bachelor's Degree, making his mother and father proud beyond words.
After graduating from U.N.I., he swiftly signed on to a career with the Amoco Corporation, where he worked for nearly three decades. He initially began his career in Fort Worth, Texas, relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma - where he started a family of his own - and ultimately retired in Houston, Texas. During the span of those years between high school, college, workforce and retirement, between Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas, Jim made many friends that he regularly kept in touch with up until he passed.
Jim enjoyed fishing throughout most of his life - from his 20s to his late 60s. Any spare moment he was granted, fishing on the open water is how he would inevitably choose to spend his time. He won 1st place in Amoco's 1997 Largest Bass Tournament, 2nd place in 1998, and is the unofficial curator of the world's largest fishing tackle collection.
Jim is survived by his two daughters, Kelley Elizabeth Sanders and Carrie Cleveland Taylor; his son-in-law, Brian Taylor; his two grandsons, Elijah Ray and Isaac James Sanders; his best friend, Jennie Cleveland; his brother-friend, Gary McVay.
The family asks that you please add any memories and photos of the much beloved Jim Cleveland; there is no one else like him and he will be very missed.