William James Sr.

ARNOLD, Mo. -- William "Bill" Darrell James Sr., 80, of Arnold died Monday, March 4, 2019, in Arnold.

He was born Jan. 10, 1939, in Hurricane, Missouri, to Roy and Mabel Yount James.

Bill proudly retired with more than 20 years of military service. He spent time in the active U.S. Army, the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. His most notable military achievement was becoming a paratrooper in the 101st Airborne Division with jumps in multiple countries around the world. Bill also retired with more than 28 years of accident-free driving with United Parcel Service. He was one of the first drivers to receive this recognition.

As a public servant, he served multiple years as a member and president of the Arnold Water Board. His greatest achievement in public service was the repainting of the infamous Arnold Water Tower.

Bill is survived by two sons, Bill (Renee) James Jr. of Huntington Beach, California, and Bryon (Melissa) James of Hillsboro, Missouri; three grandchildren, Jessika James of Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and Tylor and Alex James of Hillsboro; three great-grandsons, Nathaniel James, Sawyer James and Aiden Grady; sisters, Norma Kalal, Colleen Cook and Audrey Hanners; brothers, Jim (Ruth) Dowd, C.J. James and Billie Jo (Patty) James; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today and from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Friday at Kutis Funeral Home, 5255 Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis.

Funeral will be at 9 a.m. Friday at the funeral home. Interment will immediately follow the funeral at Jefferson Barracks.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations to This Able Veteran at Carbondale, Illinois, in memory of William D. James Sr.