Visitation will be 4 pm – 6pm Sunday, September 22, 2013, at Resthaven Funeral Home.
Mr. Hollis passed away Sunday, September 15, 2013, at his home in Shawnee.
James Milton Hollis was born at his parents’ home on McKinley Street in Shawnee, Oklahoma on September 17, 1926, to James Edward and Mary Emily (Gee) Hollis. He attended Grove Elementary School and later graduated from Shawnee High School. He entered the United States Navy on December 21, 1944 and was honorably discharged on April 28, 1946. He married Geraldine Ross on October 19, 1946, in Shawnee. He worked at Tinker Air Force Base, in the oilfields throughout Oklahoma, and was a fireman in Shawnee before moving to Ventura, California. He initially worked in the oilfields in California and later became a fire fighter. He worked at the Oakview, Ojai and Rincon Fire Stations before retiring as a Fire Captain from the Ventura County Fire Department in after 27 years of service. He was a First Aid Chairman for the Ventura County Red Cross. Mr. Hollis lived in California for 37 years before moving back to Shawnee in 1990. He was an accomplished singer and guitarist and was a member of the Old Time Fiddlers in Ventura County and later was an active singer in musician in the Shawnee Community. He was a member of the Blackburn Chapel Baptist Church and had a beloved church family.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Geraldine E Ross Hollis of 62 years; one brother: Orbrey Hollis; one sister: Gloria Hollis; and one nephew: Don Hollis.
He is survived by one son and daughter-in-law: James Mitchell Hollis and Mary, Oxnard, CA; two daughters and sons-in-law: Lyn Nita Benson and Tyler, Durango, CO, and Leah Gail Hollis Nelson and Perry, Shawnee, Oklahoma; one grandson: Ryan Allen Benson and his wife Cheri and family; one granddaughter: Jerilyn Hollis; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
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