James D. "Jim" Krokstrom

James D. "Jim" Krokstrom, 59, of Parsons, died at 7:33 p.m., July 2, 2006 at his home after a long battle with severe chronic emphysema.

He was born July 11, 1946 on a farm west of Elsmore, Kansas, to Donald Edward and Virginia Lee (Starliper) Krokstrom. He grew to adulthood in Elsmore, attending Elementary School there, graduating from Elsmore High School in 1964 and Allen County Community Junior College in Iola in 1966.

He was baptized in 1959 at the Elsmore United Methodist Church in Elsmore, Kansas, and was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Parsons Elks Lodge #527 since 1974.

He married Donna L. Laver on June 7, 1969 at the First Baptist Church in Iola, Kansas by Rev. J. L. Robbins. They had lived in the Parsons area all their married life. They had lived at 2211 Belmont for 27 years before moving to their new house in the country on November 24, 2000.

Mr. Krokstrom was a mechanic for Gordon Ericson in Elsmore from 1963 to 1964; a construction worker for Day Brothers of Moran, Kansas in 1965 and 1966. From May 1966 to January 1967, he relocated to San Francisco, California as an Assistant Engineer for Unified Centrifugal Pumps and American Forest Products Corp. He returned to Kansas and was a parts man at Allis Chambers in Iola from January 1967 to May 1967; a parts man at Harris & Hall Implement in Erie from June 1967 to May 1968; a parts man for Melvin's Auto Parts in Parsons from June 1, 1968 to April 16, 1977; a salesman for Valley Distributors in Parsons from April 18, 1977 to July 7, 1977; Director of Parts and Service at Larry Allen Ford Motor Car Company in Parsons from July 11, 1977 to August 5, 1995, which included working at the former Superior Motors in Coffeyville a few years. He formed his own business, K & A Signs on August 5, 1995 which he owned and operated until his death. He also owned and operated a Self-Service Car Wash at 10th & Main in Parsons from December 1982 to April 1989.

In 1969, he, together with Terry Hendricks, built and raced a stock car at The Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, Kansas. For the past thee years he has been a member of the NASCAR Fantasy Club and was an avid NASCAR fan all his life. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, motorcycle riding, scuba diving, golfing, playing dominoes and horseshoes. He also enjoyed grilling his special marinated steaks for family and friends. The greatest joy of his life was his daughter and his grandchildren.

SURVIVORS:
Wife – Donna L. Krokstrom of the home
One Daughter – Kristi D. Brown rural Parsons
Four Grandchildren – Kalee, Katlin, Colton and Holden of rural Parsons
Two Sisters – Connie J. Schmidt and her husband, Gregg Iola, Kansas
Gale A. Test and her husband, Mark Corpus Christi, Texas
One Sister-in-law – Wilma J. Krokstrom Iola, Kansas
His Mother-in-law – Hazel L. Laver Humboldt
One Brother-in-law – Dean Laver and his wife, Lana Iola, Kansas
Several nieces and nephews, an uncle, three aunts and several first cousins.
He was preceded in death by his father, Don Krokstrom on May 12, 2001; his mother, Virginia Young, on March 19, 1988; a brother, Fred Krokstrom, on December 16, 1996; his father-in-law, Harley Laver, on January 31, 1978, and a son-in-law, Craig Brown. on November 24, 1998.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, July 8, 2006 at the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons, with Pastor Bob Box officiating. Burial will be in South Mound Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m., Friday, July 7, 2006. Memorials are suggested to either the St. John's Hospice of Joplin or the First Baptist Church in Parsons. These may be left at or mailed to the Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P. O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.