James Garland Owen Sumner, Jr., 73, of Oxford, PA passed away on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at home. Born on July 26, 1949 as the fifth child and only son to delighted parents Jim and Marguerite Donley Sumner, James Garland Owen Sumner, Jr. was the beloved baby brother to Jeanne (John Letterman), Lena (Floyd Hansen), Beverly (Pete McDowell), and Shirley (Jerry Arnold). Jim survived a 50’s and 60’s childhood of biking to Bicknell’s, fishing with his father and playing lots of sports with neighborhood and school friends. He attended Lincoln University and then joined the Navy where he was an electrician on a nuclear Navy submarine. Jim loved his wife, his family, his Church and his Oxford community. After his discharge from the Navy, Jim married Etha McDowell in 1974 and then focused on deciding what he wanted to be when he grew up. He was a lifelong learner, earning degrees from Penn State, West Chester University, and Union Theological Seminary. He used that learning in his own business as a handyman, in the classroom as a teacher, and as a Christian Ed Director. Jim traveled a long faith journey from his early years at the Nazarene church to the Oxford Presbyterian Church where he found a faith family. He was employed there for many years but also loved being a deacon, taking young folks on mission trips, and representing the church on a peace mission to central America. Jim’s large extended family of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews were very important to him. He enjoyed coaching some of their sports, listening to their artistic performances and helping others with home projects when needed.
He relished working to help others while serving on Borough Council for several terms, serving on the Oxford School Board, helping build the local Democratic party, tutoring and mentoring at Oxford schools, being a Trustee at Lincoln University, and delivering Meals on Wheels for over 25 years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jim’s beloved Oxford Presbyterian Church (6 Pine Street, Oxford, PA 19363) or to the Oxford Educational Foundation (PO Box 142, Oxford, PA 19363). Jim’s celebration of life will be held at the Oxford Presbyterian Church at 12 noon on Saturday March 4, 2023 with visitation from 10:00 to noon. Arrangements are being handled by the Edward L. Collins, Jr. Funeral Home, Inc. Oxford, PA. On-line condolences may be made at www.elcollinsfuneralhome.com. Comments are closed.
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