Jim was born in Hampton, Arkansas, on August 6, 1951.

He was the fi fth and youngest son of Earl C. Kilgore and Mable Veazey Kilgore. He was a member of Victory Baptist Church in Hampton.

Jim was a 1969 graduate of Hampton High School and went on to graduate from the University of Arkansas in Monticello in 1976 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Psychology. He served as President of the Student Body Government and participated in the debate team, Sigma Tau Gamma, and Young Democrats. Jim was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and an avid sportsman who enjoyed deer hunting and fi shing.

Jim is survived by his wife of 40 years, Mary Beth (née Dunn) and their children, Drew Kilgore ( Lynn), Elizabeth Kilgore Johnson (Thomas), and Rachel Howard. Jim is also survived by eight grandchildren, Dakoda Kilgore, Breanna and Matthew Hall, Aiden and Patrick Johnson, Denver Arnold, and JoAnna and Mason Howard, and three great-grandchildren: Alayna, Jaxon, and Aubree Kilgore, as well as many nieces and nephews. Jim is survived by one sister, Margaret Kilgore Marsh of El Dorado, Arkansas.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers, William Earl Kilgore, Donald Casper Kilgore, Robert (Bob) Doyle Kilgore, and Joe Glenn Kilgore, as well as a nephew, Donald Earl Kilgore, his mother-in-law, Lera Mae Dunn, and father-in-law, William Thurston Dunn.

A memorial service will be held at Victory Baptist Church, 320 S. Second St., Hampton, Arkansas 71744 on Friday November 3rd at 10:30am with Brother Robbie Duncan and Brother David Inzer officiating. Following the service there will be a visitation in the fellowship hall. Crematory services are provided by Benton Funeral Home, Fordyce, Arkansas. Special appreciation is given to Life Touch Hospice, 2301 Champagnolle Rd, El Dorado, Arkansas, for care and service provided to Jim and his family. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital or to the Arkansas Wildlife Federation (arwild.org).