James McAllister passed away April 12, 2022 at his home in Rowlett, Texas. He was born March 20, 1939 in Omaha, Nebraska to parents, Michael Francis McAllister and Leona Augusta Simpson. He was raised in the Catholic Church and served as an Altar Boy to Father Jack McCullum at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Terrell, Texas. He was a loving husband, caring brother, fun uncle and loyal friend. He was also known by family and friends as Jim, Jimmy or Uncle Jim.
Jim was preceded in death by his father, Michael Francis McAllister; his mother, Leona McAllister; his brother, Jerome (Jerry) McAllister and his sister, Anne McAllister McDaniel.
He served in the Air Force as Air Traffic Control and Ground Observer Corp in Japan and in the Reserves in San Antonio, Texas. After military service, he worked as an Air Traffic Controller at the old Austin Municipal Airport where he made a host of friends that were guests at one time or another at his Lake Austin home, THE BRIARPATCH.
Jim was a member of a Model Railroad Club. The Club consisted of members with varying talents and assisted each other with railroading layouts and dioramas (scene three-dimensional appearance); he worked closely with Darwin Steger because of their interest in model railroading, specifically building models to scale with more detail than typical models that were on the market during that timeframe.
Jim shared the enjoyment of photographing trains and locomotives and would often go on trips “chasing trains” between Corsicana and Hearne Texas and between Flatonia and Lulling Texas to get that perfect shot.
His engine and bridge Model on the Cat Mountain and Santa Fe diorama made the cover of Model Railroader Magazine and his storage tanks for same diorama made the July/August 1986 cover of Santa Fe Modeler Magazine.
Jim moved into modeling WWII military models, tanks, and armored vehicles of German’s third Reich. Even though he had moved into a different phase of modeling, he carried through the same attention to detail.
Jim is survived by his wife, Dorothy Davenport McAllister; his sister Mary McAllister Wallis and a host of nephews and nieces.
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