James "Jim" R. Arledge D.V.M's Obituary
James (Jim) Ratliff Arledge (91) of Mt. Pleasant passed away peacefully surrounded by family Sunday, April 16, 2023 at Village Green Memory Care in Rockwall, Texas. Jim was born in Tarrant County, Texas on February 2, 1932 to Thornton and Ruth Ratliff Arledge. He spent his formative years growing up in Orange, Texas where he worshiped with his family at the Ninth and Elm Church of Christ. He graduated from L. Stark High School in 1950 and attended Abilene Christian College from 50-52. From there, he pursued a degree in Veterinarian Medicine at Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas and graduated in 56.
Jim began his veterinarian practice in Vidor, Texas where he built 2 different veterinarian facilities and practiced on both large and small animals. After several years in Vidor, he decided to move his family to the DFW metroplex and settled in the Farmers Branch-Carrollton area. There, he built his third and final veterinarian hospital focusing mainly on small animals but did occasionally do vet care for the local Future Farmers of America show animals at the local high school.
As a devoted Christian, Jim worshiped at the Denton Drive Church of Christ in Carrollton and then to Walnut Hill Church of Christ in Dallas, where he and his loving wife (Sue) chaperoned many youth devotionals, canoe and ski trips.
Being the adventurous type, both he and Sue traveled to many places like Switzerland, England, Mexico, and Spain to name a few. He loved to sing and had a great ear for music. Late in life, he learned to play the keyboard.
His life-long dream from childhood was owning land and raising cattle and horses. In early retirement, Jim sold his Veterinary Hospital and his small farm in Carrollton and moved to “the ranch” in East Texas. He and Sue raised cattle and dabbled in the Morgan Show horse circuit. All of his horses were his favorite but, his horse, Magic held an extra special place in his heart as they won many prestigious awards at the Horse Shows.
Jim was an outdoors man, and loved being on his tractor, in the barn or out in the pasture checking fences and feeding his cows. He had a particular engineering-type mind where he loved to tinker and “fix” or adapt things to improve them. Never bored, Jim went back to Abilene Christian University in the 1990’s to obtain a counseling certificate in Marriage and Family Counseling. He used his gained knowledge to counsel couples at his home congregation of Northridge Church of Christ in Mt. Pleasant for several years.
Jim was preceded in death by his devoted wife, Sue Walling Arledge, after 53 years of marriage; his parents, Thornton and Ruth Arledge; his two sisters, Dorothy Ruth Arledge (child) and Margorie Ann Strawther; Brother-in-law, Bill Strawther; Sister in-law, Carol Coldwell Arledge; and Brother-in-law, Ken Ek.
He is survived by his 4 children: Kathie (Arledge) Johnson and husband Tim of Carrollton, Cindy (Arledge) Short and husband David of Rockwall, Jeff Arledge and wife Debbie of Richardson, James Arledge and wife Jennifer of Mt. Pleasant, his brother Bob Arledge of Broken Arrow, OK. and sister-in-law Betty (Walling) Ek of Ft. Myers, FL. Grandchildren are: Jason Arledge, Austin Arledge and wife Taylor, Whitney Westbrook and husband Aaron, Lindsey Gaddis and husband Kory, Tyler Johnson, Makenzie Arledge and Ellie Wooten; great grandchildren, Haley Arledge, Guage Arledge, Madison Arledge, Gage Westbrook, Grayson Westbrook, Gentry Westbrook, Graham Westbrook, Ayden Arledge, Ainsley Arledge and Emma Gaddis, niece Pam Webster and nephews Kent Ek, Randy Ek, Philip Strawther, David Arledge and Steven Arledge.
A visitation to honor Jim will be held on Monday, April 24, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at Restland Funeral Home, with a graveside service to follow, at 11:00 a.m., at the Garden of Love in Restland Memorial Park.
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