James (Jim) Jomac (Poss) Wasson entered the church triumphant the morning of September 12, 2022 at the age of 84 in the living room of his cottage at Epworth Villa in Oklahoma City, OK. He was born October 7th, 1937 in Healdton, OK to Harold and Maudeen (Sterling) Wasson. The family moved to Tahlequah in 1947. Both of his parents were school teachers and later entrepreneurial business owners. He met Linda when he was in 5th grade through Linda’s sister who was the 4-H extension agent. Jomac played football and tennis in high school and graduated from Tahlequah High School in 1955. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics Education from Northeastern State University in 1959, where he was a two-sport letterman. Jim joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard when he was 17.
Shortly after beginning Officer’s Candidate School, Jim and Linda Sue (Mangrum) were married at the Free Will Baptist Church in Haskell, OK on September 6, 1959. Jim had taken his first job as a Math teacher and Football Coach in Broken Arrow, OK while Linda continued attending Northeastern. Their son Larry was born in Broken Arrow in 1961. In the summer of 1962, Jim took a teaching/coaching job in Ponca City, OK where their daughter, Tammy, was born in 1963.
In 1964, Jim left teaching to attend Nuclear Weapons Employment Course, Special Refresher Course and Associate Infantry Officer Career Course for the Oklahoma National Guard in Ft. Benning, GA and returned to Oklahoma afterwards for a full time position with the Guard in Holdenville, OK.
In 1966, Jim took a position as a lobbyist with the Oklahoma Banker’s Association, and moved the family to Oklahoma City. He was instrumental in getting legislation passed for consumer protection act with “Truth in Lending” laws. Jim continued up the ranks through the National Guard. As a Captain, Jim taught at Officer’s Candidate School during a 2-week period of time during the summer of 1966. Under his command of HHC, the Second Battalion 279th Infantry attained the highest state of readiness ever achieved by a non-mobilized force. In 1969, Jim started working for the bond-underwriting department of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. He coached little league football and was cubmaster for Pack 191 in Bethany, OK. Jim started in his home what eventually became the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency and started the “First Time Homeowners” financing program after Gov. Boren made it an official agency. Before moving to Cushing, Jim worked with leaders from the City of Cushing on the bond issue for the Cushing Masonic Hospital expansion.
In 1973, Jim completed Airborne School at Ft. Benning, GA at the age of 36. In July of that year, Jim commanded the troops assisting with the McAlester Prison Riot, one of the worst prison riots in U.S. History. June 8, 1974 at 5:01 p.m. an F4 tornado hit Drumright, OK. Jim was a Lt. Col at the time in charge of units from Perry and Cushing and began deploying them to Drumright to secure the area after Gov. David Hall declared a state of emergency. Jim came to the Drumright and Cushing area during this emergency and really liked the Cushing community. One year later, Jim became the President of First National Bank, and moved the family to Cushing in 1975. In the bank he helped many people fulfill their dreams of owning and starting or expanding their own businesses. Jim served as President of First National Bank from 1975 -1986. During this time he was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, serving several times on the Board. In 1978, he put together a sales tax plan that would benefit Cushing Hospital. He organized “Try Cushing First” for the Chamber. He supported Cushing Public Schools, Cushing Athletic Department, Cushing Youth & Community Center, and many community events sponsored by the Jaycees, Lions and Rotary Clubs. Jim served on the Advisory Council for the Cushing Chapter of the Order of DeMolay where he received the De-Molay Cross of Honor. The County Treasurer’s Association of Oklahoma issued an Honorary Membership for his faithful, devoted and untiring service to County Government and the County Treasurer’s Association. While President of the Independent Bankers Association, he lead the legislation for Multi-Bank Holding Companies. He was instrumental in getting the sales tax and bond issues for the Youth & Community Center and the hospital expansion. Jim was elected as an elder at First Presbyterian Church, the Cushing Country Club Board of Directors, served on the Payne County Bankers Association, and numerous other boards. Governor George Nigh recognized Jim as the Oklahoma Ambassador of Goodwill in 1985.
Jim continued his work in the National Guard and reached the rank of Brigadier General in January1984. He was assigned to Brigade Commander of the 45th Infantry Brigade, Headquarters Company in Edmond. This was the second highest position in the Oklahoma Army National Guard. In July 1986, he was able to swear in Larry as a Private, when he joined the Oklahoma Guard. Later that year he retired from the Guard after 33 years of service as an infantryman. He took a position with Woolsey & Co. in OKC as a consultant. Jim went through the Laubauch Literacy Tutor training in 1989 and began tutoring people that could not read or were functionally illiterate.
In 1993, Jim decided to delve into doing paving maintenance, and continued JLT Corporation in that direction until he retired in 2017. In 2013, Jim formed the Wasson Family Foundation to help support various non-profit organizations, and to establish scholarships for college for students from Cushing Public Schools, and Amber-Pocasset Schools. The foundation also donates to many other non-profit organizations in the Cushing community, Epworth and throughout the state. Jim and Linda have spent a lifetime giving their time, talents, and resources so that others may benefit from their blessings and gifts from God. They had celebrated 59 years of marriage when Linda predeceased him a few months prior to their 60th. Jim was predeceased by his parents and wife. He is survived by his son, Larry and wife, Carla of Chickasha, OK, daughter Tammy and wife, Mary Emmet of Cushing, OK, grandsons Dillon of Stillwater, OK, Logan of Chickasha, OK, and Landon of Edmond, OK, his sister Sally Long Jordan and husband Keith of Houston, TX, nephews Jeremy Long, Jay Long, Will Qualls, and Jeff Qualls, nieces Susan Long, Kay Vincent Watson, Patti Vincent, Kim Mangrum Anderson, Debbie Mangrum Williams, and Damita (Dee) Cabiness, cousins Patricia Foster, Tom Wasson and Sara Clift and best friend of 57 years, Ed Puckett.
Services will be held at 2 locations. A memorial service at Epworth Villa 14901 N. Penn., OKC, OK on Sept. 30, 2022 @ 3:00 pm. Funeral services will be at Presbyterian Church, 301 E. Moses, Cushing, OK on Oct. 1, 2022 @ 11:00 am. Interment will be at the Tahlequah Cemetery. Rev. Verne Arens will officiate. Pallbearers: Dillon Wasson, Logan Wasson, Landon Wasson, Russell Moyer, Tony Mills and Doug Baker. Honorary Pallbearers: Ed Puckett, Gene Rainbolt, George Nigh, Bill Wilson, Paul Martin and Keith Jordan.
Memorials may be made to Cimarron Valley Humane Society, P.O. Box 1163, Cushing, OK 74023 in honor of George Straight, Jim’s Piebald Dachshund. Services are in care of Matherly-Davis Funeral Home in Cushing, OK.
