James Earnest "Jim" Tustison

James Earnest Tustison, age 96, received his Final Military Salute and Honor Walk on November 3rd, 2023 at the Lawton Oklahoma Veterans home.
Jim was born August 14, 1927, in Carbondale, Tulsa County, Oklahoma to Dovie (Stevenson) and Ernest James Tustison. While a child, his family moved to California for a period, then back to Oklahoma to the family farm near Hinton. Jim attended Sugar Creek Elementary, a one room schoolhouse, and graduated from Lookeba High School.
Jim served in the Navy during World War II. He joined the Navy on his birthday in 1945 and was sent to the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. However, Jim only spent a few days on a ship. His Navy career was spent making sure the cargo on airplanes was properly loaded and balanced. Jim remembered the building of the "Bikini A-Bomb" while he was on the island. He never spoke much of his Navy days because he didn't feel he contributed much to the cause.
While serving in the Navy, Jim exchanged letters with his future wife, Patsy Ruth Klingman of Binger, Oklahoma. They were married soon after his return on August 27, 1947, in Wichita Falls, Texas. They lived in Anadarko where Jim worked for the Coca-cola Bottling Company. Later, they moved to California to be near Jim's parents, grandparents, and other extended family. Jim worked for and operated the Empire Plumbing Supply Company in Visalia. When Patsy's dad died in 1960, they moved back to Binger, Oklahoma, to help with her family farm and Patsy's large Klingman family. They would try to travel back to California every year to visit Jim's family.
Jim was good at figuring out how to fix most anything using whatever parts he had on hand, baling wire, duct tape, spare parts, even if the item wasn't intended for that use. This skill served him well at his various jobs. Jim started a refrigeration repair business that served most of Caddo County when they moved back to Oklahoma. In 1968, the family moved to Anadarko where Jim worked for Sequoyah Carpet Mills. Always being innovative, Jim devised a way to recycle the cardboard boxes, jute, discarded, carpet, and other waste at Hollytex Carpet Mills and did this under contract with them for several years. When that job was no longer profitable, Jim bought a franchise for a pump-jack oil equipment cleaning business and traveled around Oklahoma and Texas. When the oil business was going under, he sold his franchise and moved back to California in 1986. Until his retirement, he worked and supervised a maintenance and cleaning team in southern (Brawley area) California for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
After retiring, Jim and Patsy served a two year church service mission in the Seattle, Washington area. When they returned to Anadarko, they volunteered at the Oklahoma City Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They also traveled all over the country by motor home to see family and historical sites.
Jim was a respected leader in many capacities in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He organized and led a Boy Scout Troop. He and Patsy did family history/genealogy work around Caddo county. Until Jim's health began to decline, he continued to do work online by digitizing census records from all over the world for Family Search, Org.
Jim was preceded in death by his wife, Patsy Ruth, their son, Charles Aaron, and an infant daughter, Peggy Ann.
Survivors include his children and spouses: Jim (Grace) Tustison, Jr. of St George, Utah, Carol (James) Floyd of Tulsa, Ruth (Terry) Oliphant of Anadarko, and daughter-in-law Songa Tustison of Seattle, Washington; 13 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren; a brother, Robert (Mary Alice) Tustison of Richfield, Utah, and sister Norma (Chris) Johnson of Carson City, Nevada.
Graveside services will be 2:00 p.m, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 at the Binger Community Cemetery, Binger, Oklahoma, with burial beside his beloved eternal companion, Patsy.


Graveside Service: 2:00 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023
Binger/Murray Cemetery, Binger, OK

Viewing: 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023
9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.,. Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023
Ray and Martha's Funeral Home, Anadarko, OK

Under the direction of Ray and Martha's Funeral Home, Anadarko, OK