JAMES O. HUGHES, 87, of Cherokee, Iowa and former longtime Meriden, Iowa resident, went home to be with the Lord on October 19, 2013 at 9 a.m. at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center.

Memorial services will be held on Thursday, October 24th at 11 a.m. at the Meriden Evangelical Free Church. Pastor Larry Ostercamp and Pastor Woody Woodward will officiate. There will be a family prayer service at 10:45 a.m. at the church. Burial will be at Liberty Cemetery rural Meriden, Iowa at 9:30 a.m. prior to the service. Full military rites will be conducted at the cemetery by L.A. Wescott Post #2253 of the V.F.W. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. with the family present from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. with a time of sharing at 7:00 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee. Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

James Oliver Hughes was born on November 23, 1925 in Chanute, KS, the son of James Oliver and Lottie (Leedy) Hughes. He moved several times before the age of 6 and then settled near Milo, MO. He grew up on a farm and spent his spare time hunting, fishing, and trapping and learning to love nature. He put his trust in Jesus Christ at a brush arbor meeting at the age of 12. After graduation from Nevada, MO High School, he joined the Navy at the age of 17 and fought in the Pacific. He was on the beach party at Iwo Jima and a suicide bomber at Okinawa disabled his ship. Jim attained the rank of Signalman 3rd Class and was honorably discharged in April of 1946.

After the war, Jim came to Iowa and worked for Russell Fredrickson. In 1952, he married Vanny Fredrickson and had 61 wonderful years together. They farmed until retirement and lived in the same house in Meriden for almost 60 years. They moved to Cherokee in March of 2011.

Jim had many passions and interests in life. He was a long time member at the MEFC and had served many years on the board and as a Sunday school teacher. He was past president of the Cherokee Country Club and MC School Board. He was a long time member of America Legion, VFW, and NRA. He was a volunteer fireman for the Meriden Fire Department for 27 years.

He was an avid outdoorsman and loved to hunt, trap, fish, and pick mushrooms. In 1991, he built a 7-acre lake where he loved to spend time with family and friends. He was a good left-handed pitcher and enjoyed shooting pool, playing golf, and cards. He loved to raise melons and did so for 50 years. He rarely missed a ballgame of his kids, grandkids, or great grandchildren. He liked to travel to Navy reunions, fishing trips to the Red River, and spent time in Missouri nearly every year of his life. He will be missed by his many friends and family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Raymond, two sisters Neldaline and Kathryn; sister-in-law Carolyn Fredrickson and a brother-in-law Darwin Fredrickson.

Those left to cherish his memory include his wife Vanny of Cherokee, Iowa; three children: Jim (Linda) Hughes of Cherokee, Iowa; Tracie (Pastor Woody) Woodward of Kingwood, Texas; Dave (Nancy) Hughes of Orange City, Iowa; 9 grandchildren: Molly (Eli) Paulsrud of Meriden, Iowa; Cory (Alyssa ) Hughes of Cherokee, Iowa; Rachel (Pastor Michael) Slininger of Webster City, Iowa; Jessica, Weston, and Taylor Woodward of Austin, Texas; Courtney Hughes of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Cody and Sydney Hughes of Orange City, Iowa; 6 great grandchildren: Alex, Anna, Jaxon, Jillian, Olivia and Ava; brother-in-law: Gene Windle of Colorado Springs, Colorado; brother-in-law and sister-in-law: Norman & Joey Fredrickson of Okoboji, Iowa.