"I have fond memories of going to Uncle Jim and Aunt Mary?s for some family get togethers and thinking it was so cool that we were able to go to the school in Miles and play in the gym. Of course I was never as athletically inclined as my cousins but had fun anyway. Truly, it wasn?t until I was an adult that I could appreciate Uncle Jim?s wit but always admired his intellect. When going through a difficult time during our Aunt Jean?s illness it was Uncle Jim that I called and he was there to listen and give me advise and words of encouragement. I hope he knew how much those words meant to me. While we will not be able to be there in person We will be thinking of you all and sending you our love. Melissa & Eric"
In loving memory of
James G. "Jim" House
August 10, 1938 - January 29, 2021
James "Jim" House, 82, of Miles, Iowa died at home on Friday afternoon January 29, 2021. According to his wishes his body was cremated. A private memorial service will be held on Friday, February 5, 2021 and will be available for viewing after the service at www.CarsonAndSon.com. A celebration of life will be held at a later time when more friends and family are able to gather. Burial will be at the Sterling Cemetery.
James Gerald House was born at home in rural Bellevue on August 10, 1938 to Gerald and Florence (Wall) House. He attended elementary school in Miles and later graduated from Elwood High School in 1956. Jim earned his bachelor's degree from the Iowa State Teachers College (UNI), his master's degree and principal certification from NE Missouri State and certification as superintendent from the University of Iowa. He was a member of Phi Delta Kappa fraternity. He was married May 25, 1968 to Mary Eagen in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Jim began his career in education as a Social Studies teacher at Lacey, IA. He was also a teacher, coach and then principal at North Mahaska High School before he was hired as superintendent at Miles in 1972. In 1973, he was a shared superintendent with the Sabula district until it merged to form East Central in 1974 where he remained for 38 years until his retirement in 2010. He was shared with Preston from 1992-2001. Jim was recognized in 1997 by the Iowa High School Athletic Association for his contributions and efforts to start high school bowling. He coached multiple sports including the 1988 girls golf team that won the State Tournament, when two of his daughters were on the team.
He earned his third class pilot's license in 1973. If you thought a car ride with him was scary, you should have flown with him! Jim enjoyed basketball, golf, bicycling, playing cards, coffee clubs, good food, political debate, great deals, reading, music, telling stories, a well-delivered punch line and winning. Watching and discussing the sports his children and grandchildren played was a point of pride and routine. He hoped to be remembered as a philosopher and raconteur (Google it).
Those left to honor his memory include his wife of 52 years, Mary; his daughters, Dr. Melanie House (Sarah Barfels) of North Liberty, IA; Jamie (Nana) Gyamfi, children Trey Gyamfi, Chancelor House, Maya Gyamfi, & Jada Gyamfi of Johnston, IA; Jennifer (Scott) Huling, daughter Nora Huling of Hauntown, IA; Kathryn (Justin) Twist, children Jacey House and Reese Twist of Miles, IA; his siblings Janet Burnett of Streator, IL, Jane (Don) McBride, of Bernard, IA, and Jerry (Linda) House of Delmar, IA; his nieces and nephews and many close relatives and friends. He will be especially missed by his faithful dog, Roxie.
He was preceded in death by his mother and father, Florence and Gerald House of Maquoketa, IA, his sister Jean Curley of Beloit, WI, and his brother-in-law Dick Burnett of Streator, IL, sister-in-law Donita Bowen, and parents-in-law Ruby and Don Eagen.
Those of us who were lucky enough to be on speed dial will miss his regular phone calls which could be short and to the point, but were always filled with sound advice and a good laugh.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jim's memory will be used to establish a scholarship fund in his name to benefit area students and the family will make a donation to his favorite news source, Iowa Public Radio. Contribute to the James House Memorial Scholarship online here:
https://gofund.me/6a798c89
Online condolences may be left at www.CarsonAndSon.com.
Tributes
"Jim was the oldest of the "cousins at our Wall family reunions during the years we were growing up. He was 2 years older than me and I looked up to him. One summer, he came to work at the canning factory at our small town and drove truck to transport the peas from the pea viners. As it indicated in the obituary, he did have an accident or two with those old trucks. He and my Dad used to argue about baseball teams. Jim was an ardent Yankee fan and Dad was not. In any case, he was the son of my Dad's oldest sister, Florence and things worked out. As i read the obituary, thoughts came back how he could come up with a very succinct opinion or explanation of the way things were. That was vintage Jim. He was smart. And he loved golf. We once met in Byron, Illinois to play golf,, he and my brother Ken and myself. He brought a friend. Had he not suffered from his health problems, I am sure he would have been shooting very low scores. Now we know that he won't have to deal with that anymore in heaven"
"Mary & family, So sorry for your loss. I was about to start my senior year in high school when you and Jim came to Miles in 1972. I thought it was pretty to cool to have my cousin as superintendent and Jim?s Aunt Betty was pretty proud of it too. As written in Jim?s obituary he liked to win and he hit the jackpot when he married you. Simply said, you were a good wife. You two created four fun-loving and accomplished daughters and although Jim will be known to many for his long career as a school administrator, I feel his greatest legacy will be his girls. We know he will not be forgotten?so many memories to fill that void. Our condolences to you and your family, Diane (Papke) and David Cole "
"Mary and family; I am deeply saddened to hear of Jim?s passing. I had been saying for some time now that I was going to stop by and visit with Jim. I now regret that I didn?t take the time to do it. The first time I met Jim was for my job interview as bus mechanic. We chatted in his office for about 10 minutes, he called a few school board members, and he told me I had the job. I had wondered how I got the job so quickly. I later found out that as he was just about to walk into the building that morning, unbeknownst to me, he saw me drive up....in my old rusty 1979 Volkswagen Rabbit diesel. I can?t say for certain , but I?m pretty sure he decided at that very moment that I was his guy! I soon realized that Mr House was going to be a great boss. He would let me know if he thought I was wrong, as he should, but he also always gave me the benefit of the doubt. I always knew where I stood with Mr House, and I appreciated and respected that about him. I also soon discovered that Mr House had a rare talent. He was able to be a respected boss, and a friend, at the same time. He did this with amazing finesse, and he did it wonderfully. Thank you Mr House for all of the guidance you have given me throughout the years. Thank you for always believing in me. Thank you for giving me a career-changing, and life-changing opportunity. Thank you Jim and Mary for the wonderful outings and meals you generously treated Nancy and I to from time to time. And thank you most of all Mr House....Jim, for being my friend. I will never forget everything you have done for me. Your friend, Byron Bielenberg "