James Norman Kelloms
On Dec. 18, 2023, James Norman Kelloms, 84, of Haskell, joined the love of his life in Heaven. Born on Feb. 8, 1939, in Benton, Norman served in the United States Navy from 1958 till he retired in May of 1977 as a Chief Petty Officer.
He returned home to Benton and retired from Wabash Alloys. Norman and his late wife, Elsie Kelloms, owned Kelloms Crafts and enjoyed selling homemade crafts at local craft shows. He enjoyed traveling, camping and keeping his grass mowed.
Norman was preceded in death by his wife of 50 plus years, Elsie Kelloms; parents, Skye and Minnie Kelloms; brother, Anderson Kelloms; and granddaughter, Myranda Mcspadden Reed.
Norman is survived by two sons, Jimmy Kelloms and Andy (Marybeth) Kelloms; two daughters, Beverly Mcdonald and Liz (Mark) Warford; nine grandchildren, Shawna Smith, Travis Mcdonald, Chris Mcdonald, Doug Mcdonald, Dallas Kelloms, Zach Kelloms, Alex Kelloms, Draven Mcspadden, and Jacob Warford; nine great-grandchildren.
Memorial services were held on Friday, Dec. 22, at Ashby Funeral Home with Bro. Scotty Nalley officiating. Visitation was at Ashby’s, prior to the service. his little brother, Denny.
When he was 12, his parents moved Bob, Denny and little sister, Cheri, to Melbourne, Fla. There, he developed a passion for baseball, hunting, and surfing. He graduated from Melbourne High School in 1960 and up until his death remained close to his Florida friends.
Upon high school graduation, Bob attended Florida State University where he was a four-year letterman in baseball. His team played in three College World Series during those years. He was also a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.
After receiving his BA in English from FSU, Bob moved back to Melbourne where he received an offer to work for IBM.
At that time, Bob, Carolyn, and their sons moved to Huntsville, Ala., for a brief period. The next move brought them to Little Rock.
Bob had a highly successful sales career in Arkansas. During his 25 years with IBM, he received the prestigious Golden Circle Award multiple times. He developed remarkably close friendships with his IBM work colleagues and Walnut Valley neighbors. There were many days spent at Lake Ouachita, Greers Ferry Lake, and on snow ski trips with these close friends.
Growing up at a fish camp in the northern woods of Minnesota set the stage for a life spent as an avid outdoorsman. In his later years, Bob could be found between September through February in a duck field or the deer woods pursuing his passion.
In 1972, Bob joined the Camden Hunting Club where he was an active member for 50 years. Many of his closest friendships were made there.
Bob coached his sons, Lawren and Brent, in both baseball and football throughout their grade school and high school years. He was respectfully known as “Coach Wilcox” by the boy’s friends and teammates. He took this opportunity to not only have a positive impact on his sons’ lives but also those of their teammates.
Later in life, Bob became his grandchildren’s and nephews’ biggest fan. “Grandbob” rarely missed the grandkids’ soccer and basketball games. His nephew, Carson, was one of his favorite athletes to watch play baseball and football. Bob was also a huge fan of both the FSU Seminoles and the Razorbacks.
Bob and Peggy married on June 14,
1993. “Peggo,” as he affectionately called her, became the light of his life. Their 30-year marriage, spent in their home in the Salem community, was a loving, wonderful, and fun-filled marriage.
Peggy and Bob enjoyed working together as partners in the computer and software industry right up until his death. They spent most of their free time enjoying days at Camden Hunting Club, golfing at Hurricane Country Club and many other courses, going on snow ski trips, spending weekends at the lake, and most of all, enjoying time with family and friends.
During those 30-plus years with Peggy, Bob’s family expanded to include his sons’ wives and grandchildren, Peggy’s sister and husband, Donna and David, and Peggy’s nephews and nieces. He loved them all in his own special way.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Evelyn Grace Wilcox, and his sister, Cheri Wilcox.
A visitation will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, at the Ashby Funeral Home in Benton. A memorial service will follow beginning at 2 p.m. Pastor Bob Bridges will be officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to the Salem Volunteer Fire Department (1785 Salem Road Benton, AR 72019), the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation (www.agff.org) or a charity of your choice.
Online guest book at www.ashbyfuneralhome. com.