Jimmie Ray Monhollon, 88, passed away on March 31, 2021, in Palmetto, FL, after a brief illness.
The son of Ray and Lola (Smith) Monhollon, Jimmie was born in Hobbs, NM, on March 26, 1933. He grew up in Hobbs; Denver City, TX; Canon City, CO; and Artesia, CO, which is now Dinosaur. He attended Wayland Baptist College in Plainview, TX, where he met Patsy Lake Pylant, who became his wife of 59 years. He is survived by their four children, Mike Monhollon (spouse Rachel), Melody Knight (spouse Larry), Marsha Gilbert, and John Monhollon (spouse Courtney), their eleven grandchildren, and their four great-grandchildren.
After college, Jimmie was drafted and served two years in the Army. He earned an M.A. in American Studies from the University of Wyoming and a Ph.D. in Economics from Vanderbilt University. He started as a research economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and went on to manage its Charlotte and Baltimore branches before becoming its First Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. For a time, he managed the check clearing operations for the United States.
His second career was in education. After 33 years with the Federal Reserve Bank, he spent ten years as Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, TX. For five of those years he served as dean of the business school.
Jimmie’s favorite memories of his childhood involved hunting with his father and playing checkers with his grandfather. His later pastimes included fishing with his uncles and children and playing tennis. He and his wife Patsy Lake lived in ten states, and in each house they lived in he finished out rooms, built bookshelves, and (once) built a cinderblock wall at the end of his driveway to hit tennis balls against. After retirement and the death of his wife, he began to read his Bible over and over again, from cover to cover. He looked forward to seeing his dear wife again and, of course, Jesus.
Funeral services will be held at the Skyway Memorial Funeral Home in Palmetto at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 3, 2021.
Donations in his memory may be made to Samaritan’s Purse.
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