Few people enjoy being stopped by trains, but Jim Myrick (aka “Uncle Jimmy”) certainly did.
In fact, he went looking for them, memorizing schedules and scoping out tracks just to watch the cars go by. He could name each car and tell you where each originated, what it carried, and where it was headed.
James Edgar Myrick, of Muscle Shoals, joined his parents, Eddie and Gertrude, in Heaven with our Lord on December 21, 2013. He was 68.
Jim is survived by his brother, Arthur “A.J.” Myrick and wife Allene, of Muscle Shoals; brother, William “Bill” Myrick, and wife Linda, of Sheffield; nephew, David Myrick and wife Wendy, of Sheffield; nephew, Phillip Myrick and wife Lisa, of Sheffield; nephew, Steven Myrick, of Sheffield; niece, Cheryl Milligan and husband Charles, of Florence; great-nephew, Taylor Myrick; great-nieces, Anna Joy, Caroline, and Chloe Myrick; and many beloved cousins and friends.
Born on December 28, 1944, in Russellville, Jim was the “baby brother.” He graduated from Colbert County High School before a tour in Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division. An Army Sergeant, he earned several distinctions, including the Combat Infantry Badge, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Cross of Gallantry. They were honors he rarely discussed and never displayed.
Jim worked as a Unit Operator at Colbert Steam Plant for more than 25 years, pulling swing shifts and graveyards and missing out on holidays with his own family so others could spend time with theirs. He loved his job. He loved talking about how that power plant operated. And he loved the people who worked there.
Jim loved other things, too, like playing computer golf and bantering with his brothers, watching an Alabama football game, and spending time at the family gatherings he missed out on for so many years. Jim also wrote poetry, read voraciously, played guitar and sang old country tunes.
And, of course, Jim loved his trains, big AND small. He took his vacations out West on Amtrak, and worked tirelessly on his own constructions, creating hills and valleys and towns for his miniature tracks to traverse. The Shoals Model Railroad Club in Tuscumbia was his home away from home. Jim eagerly anticipated Tuesday evenings with his fellow members.
Visitation will be Monday, December 23, from 12-2 p.m. at Morrison Funeral Home in Tuscumbia. Services will start at 2 p.m. followed by burial with military rites at Bethlehem Baptist Cemetery in Russellville. Roger Bond will officiate. Jim’s nephews will be pallbearers.
If you knew Jim, when a train stops you, maybe now you can crack a smile and reminisce about the man who always watched with childlike joy as the cars passed. It never grew old, he never grew impatient, and he never longed to see the caboose.
As for Jim, well, I believe God laid down a special set of golden tracks, held up a striped conductor’s cap and led him to the diesel engine He had perfectly prepared for Heaven’s newest engineer.
And, today, Jim Myrick is finally getting to drive his train.
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