James E. Tranum

May 16, 1942 - July 6, 2023

Jim Tranum, 81, of Troy and Temple, Texas, left this earthly life on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at his home with his wife of 55+ years by his side after a valiant year-long fight with glioblastoma cancer.

Visitation will be Sunday, July 16, at Scanio-Harper Funeral home at 3110 Airport Rd in Temple from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. A funeral service will be held on Monday, July 17, at 11:00 am at Troy United Methodist Church, 2500 FM 935, Troy, TX, followed by a church reception to celebrate this remarkable man's legacy. Private family burial will follow at 2:00 pm. At Jim's request, please wear your bright, happy, and colorful attire, as this was his trademark style.

Service To Believe In

Service To The Community

Service To Families

Service Above Self

These were Jim's mottos as he followed them in his daily life. He embraced hard work, as evident by the accolades and awards he received over 60+ years of career in management. As district manager with General Motors, Jim received "Young Man of the Year". In 1980 GM corporation asked him to move his young family from Raleigh, NC, to Detroit or General Motors of Europe, which helped him realize his next stop would be a tremendous leap of faith. Instead, Jim chose to "Do it his way," at a young 38, Jim purchased the Hundley Buick Company in Temple and shortly after made another purchase of Farris Pontiac GMC, which led him to move the dealership franchises to I-35, and the growth took root. This began his 40+ year adoration with Bell County, Central Texas, and surrounding counties. His work ethic and dedication to the business and employees led to eventually having 9 different locations under Tranum Auto Group.

At the core of Jim's heart was giving back to others. He served on several boards at Scott & White Hospital, where he helped in donating a new state-of-the-art bloodmobile to the hospital. He was elected to be on the Board of Trustees for Temple College for over a decade and donated land to the college. The Jim & Eva Marie Scholarship helped graduating seniors continue pursuing their education. It was important to him to strengthen the community by donating time and financial resources back to the community. This led to dozens of young adults being able to attend college or continue their education that might not have had the opportunity. Jim was also a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow. He consistently demonstrated "Service Before Self". Jim loved tennis and was an avid player until the age of 78, sometimes playing up to 3x/week. He supported the City of Temple's public tennis by donating for the courts and structures to be resurfaced and updated at the Summit Tennis Center and was able to surprise his love and wife, and favorite mixed doubles partner, by having it named in her honor; The Eva Marie Tranum Tennis Center.

Jim loved to travel and meet friends worldwide through shared experiences. He enjoyed a good glass of wine, trips to the beach with a book in hand, was an avid cruiser earning the pinnacle tier with RCCL, and would never turn down a good "stinger". Jim danced his legendary shag dance any chance he could, was a lover of any blues music, enjoyed the efforts of maintaining their ranch, and ended the majority of his hard-working days in a rocking chair on the back porch with Eva Marie. Most of all, he loved his family. He never tired of hard work, and it was evident his work ethic and life teachings were a favorite to share with his family.

Jim is survived by the love of his life, Eva Marie Tranum. Their 3 daughters, Christina Marie Trammell (Tony) of Fayetteville, AR; Anna Marie Kessler (David) of Temple, TX & Lisa Marie Wiggins (Will) of Flower Mound, TX. Grandkids Austin Christopher & Tyler Marie Trammell; Andrew William, Sarah Marie & James Harry Kessler; and Wren Wallace & Wrett "Truett" William Wiggins. A sister, Mary Alice Taylor (Joe) of Destin, FL; niece Lacey Jordan (Bill) of Atlanta, GA; brother-in-law, William McCauley "Bill" Duck (Cindy) of Rockport, TX; and nephew McCauley Duck of Rockport, TX and a host of cousins throughout the Arkansas Delta. He was preceded in death by his parents, Clark and Tava Tranum, and his in-laws, Marvin & Mary Duck.

Arrangements are under the direction of Scanio-Harper Funeral Home in Temple. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in his name to Temple College Board of Trustees Scholarship Fund, Baylor Scott & White McLane Children's Child Life, or the University of Arkansas.