James Everett Oakley

James Everett Oakley 87, of Beech Grove, passed away Tuesday, June 19, 2018. He was born July 28, 1930 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Russell and Regina Oakley.

He is survived by his sister, Patricia Bischoff of Crothersville. He is also survived by his seven children; Jim, Don (Janet Willhite), Susie, Tom (Tammy), Mark (Mary Beth), Mike (Jennifer), Geri (Tim Fey), 17 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife Eva Oakley, sister, Marilyn Bischoff, and granddaughter, Julie Jones.

Jim was a graduate of Cathedral High School, class of 1948. He proudly served his country in the US Army during the Korean Conflict and was based in Germany from 1951-1953. Upon his return to the States, he worked as a bread man for Omar Bakery and delivered ice cold Pepsi-Cola for a short time, before landing a position at the Ford Motor Company, a career that lasted 30 years. He enjoyed 25 years of retirement before his passing.

Jim was a member of Holy Name Church for over 40 years and St. Jude Parish for the last 34 years.

He coached Beech Grove Little League Baseball and was a member of the Holy Name Men’s Bowling league for 40 years. He also was a member of the Knights of Columbus as well as a member of the UAW. He was active in the community and church and was known to have a cold beer on hand on any given Sunday for any priest that happened to be “in the neighborhood”. You could always count on a sarcastic” Whooppee!”.

The family would like to thank all the kind staff at St. Paul Hermitage for their extraordinary care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Paul Hermitage or The Kidney Foundation.

Family and friends may visit Friday, June 22 from 4-8 PM at St. Jude Catholic Church, 5353 McFarland Road, Indianapolis, IN 46227. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at the church Saturday, June 23 at 10 AM, with visitation an hour prior. He will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery immediately following mass.