Mr. James Isom Sr.

James Lee Isom, Sr., the oldest of six children was born May 13, 1935 in Goodwater, Alabama to the late L.Z. Isom and Quinell Pollard-Isom. An avid lover of reading, James was only able to attend elementary school until 5th grade, at which time he had to quit and help earn money for his family. Although he did not complete his studies in a school setting, he was fortunate to have a grandmother that taught him to read, write, and absorb a few math skills while he was still young. At the age of eighteen, James moved to Cleveland, Ohio to live with his father and his step-mother, Naomi Isom. Naomi helped James to secure employment in the Housekeeping Department at Lutheran Hospital in 1953, where he remained employed until his retirement in 2006. In 1957, James met and married Ernestine Harris and to this union, four children were born. They were married for 55 years before Ernestine preceded her husband in death. In addition to being a hard worker, James had a passion for reading the daily newspaper and spending hours at a time both talking with and playing family games with his wife and children. Communication in the home and education always remained important to James so he made sure that each of his four children understood and took every advantage of getting a good education. At the very least, each child was required to graduate from high school. No excuses! If he wasn’t working or spending time with his family, he most likely could be found enjoying horse racing at Thistledown Race Track. Other times, he appreciated having friends over some weekends just to listen to music or to play cards. The journey of life brings both good days and bad, but regardless of what each day brought, James held on to his faith in God. For many years, he only spoke about the goodness of the Lord, but in 2010 he took a step forward and joined The Word Church, under the leadership of R. A. Vernon. In 2011, James was baptized and spent a huge part of his remaining days reading and studying his bible. James went home to be with the Lord on October 19, 2016. He leaves to treasure the memory of his love, his children, James Jr., Valerie (Randall), Angela (Nathaniel), and Anita (Melvin); 14 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; three sisters, Mary Russell, Sarah Johnson, and Nancy Faye Dolman (John); two brothers, Bennie Isom and Jimmie Lee Fuller; & a host of very special nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Mr. James Isom Sr.

May 13, 1935 - October 19, 2016