James Gordon Meiser

On Monday, October 22, 2018, James (Jim) Gordon Meiser passed away at home at the age of 68. Born in Memphis, Tenn. on September 30, 1950 to John Gordon and Vida (Vicky) Ryker Meiser, Jim was raised in Springdale, Ark. where he graduated high school, gaining the lifelong nickname "Mouse", owing to his agility and small stature as a youth. Following high school, Jim moved to Fayetteville where he and his wife, Diane, raised three children. A lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Arkansas Razorbacks, and sports in general, Jim happily retold stories of his attendance at Game 7 of the 1982 World Series, Game 5 of the 1985 NLCS (made famous by Ozzie Smith's HR), the 2000 Cotton Bowl, and the 2004 Kentucky Derby. He was consistently awed by places or moments of historical significance, and had a manner of taking pause to share his moments of wonder with others, be they family, friends, or complete strangers. One of his favorite tales to share was of having delivered a telegram to the future president and first lady on their wedding day at what is now the Clinton House Museum. An entrepreneur, Jim had several careers during his lifetime, including as the owner and proprietor of Meiser Temporaries, which is among the businesses that became what is now Staffmark. He later owned and operated Chuckwagon Liquor on South School until his retirement. Jim readily befriended many of his customers, vendors, and competitors during his years in the retail business. Among his many strong personal beliefs was in the need for our society to support one another to allow each person to achieve according to their merit rather than circumstance. As such, he was an avid supporter of the local Head Start program. In honor of Jim's lasting support of this program, the family asks that those that wish to send flowers instead make a donation to Head Start or Northwest Arkansas Economic Opportunity Agency to continue Jim's support of the underprivileged and abused children of our community. Jim's presence will be sorely missed by his family and friends. James Meiser was preceded in death by his mother, father, and brother Gary. He is survived by his wife Diane, sister Cecilia Seay, three children Kelly, Jared and Jena, their spouses Ryan, Lisa, and Derek, and three grandsons Owen, Jediah, and Jonah. The family would like to extend their thanks to staff and associates of Washington Regional Hospice for the care and support provided. They further ask that the community recognize the important work of that organization with donations to "Friends of Hospice", which allows them to continue to provide this much-needed service to all residents of the community, irrespective of the patient's financial situation. A memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, November 3, at Moore's Chapel (206 W Center St, Fayetteville, Ark. 72701). Jim's cremains will be placed at the White Rock Cemetery located on Maloney Rd. in Lincoln, Ark. 72744. To sign the online guest book visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.