James (Jim) Joseph Wiederholt

James (Jim) Joseph Wiederholt, 91, passed away peacefully on March 10th , 2025, in Rio Rancho, NM.

Jim was born in Stanberry, MO, on March 20th , 1933. He comes from a big, loving Catholic family. He was the second oldest boy in a family of eight kids. His father was John Francis Wiederholt and his mother was Margaret Elizabeth (Farnan) Wiederholt. It was a “mixed” marriage back in the day, as John was German and Margaret was Irish. Thank goodness they could look past their differences!

After graduating high school in Kansas City, MO, where he would often quip that he was “the smartest person in the dumb row”, he was drafted into the Army at 18 years old. He enlisted and was stationed in Alaska during the Korean War. Upon arriving back home in Greeley, KS, he was welcomed by all, most especially by the family dog, Fritz!

When he joined the Army, he left behind the love of his life, Bethine Branton. Many people could see that they were totally meant to be together. (We’re looking at you Margie!)

Unfortunately, this was also one of those “mixed” relationships, as Jim was raised Catholic and Bethine Protestant. While both were living and working in Kansas City, MO, they dated, then became engaged, then broke off the engagement. This happened several times, leading an exasperated Bethine to pack her bags and move to Houston, TX. After she had been there for about a year, she wrote Jim to say that she continued to love him and would convert to Catholicism if he still wanted to marry her. He immediately raced down to Houston, and the rest is history! Again, thank goodness they could look past their differences!

Jim and Bethine got married on April 12th , 1958, in Houston, TX. Jim was a flight instructor and Bethine worked in a bank. They had their first child, James (Jim Jr.) Russell Wiederholt, on Feb. 5th , 1959.

Jim went on to become an air traffic controller with the US Federal Aviation Administration, and relocated to Ft. Worth, TX in 1960. While in Ft. Worth, Jim and Bethine had their first daughter, Diane Marie Wiederholt (Evanko), on Oct. 30 th , 1960. They also welcomed their youngest child, Mary Beth Wiederholt, on Feb. 10th , 1963.

Shortly after Mary was born, Jim was transferred to the control tower at Tulsa International Airport, where he worked until his retirement in 1984. They lived in the family home for 57 years. Jim has always loved a good laugh and was a master joke and story teller! He loved flying, vanilla milk shakes, Cryptogram puzzles, reading, Johnny Carson, and most importantly, his family!

In retirement, he enjoyed frequent meals with his son, and could often be found helping out at Jim Jr.’s ranch in OK. When it was apparent Jim and Bethine needed some extra care, the family home was sold, and they packed up and moved to New Mexico to be close to their two daughters.

They moved into Fairwinds Assisted Living Facility in May of 2021. Along with nearby family members, the Fairwinds staff took excellent care of him for almost four years. Still a lover of a good laugh, he was the king of witty comebacks, and quickly became one of the favorite residents! While living at Fairwinds, he enjoyed doing crossword puzzles, line dancing to Tulsa Time, listening to Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius XM, and eating chocolate chip cookies. The gourmet chocolate chunk ones from Costco were his favorites and he got to enjoy them almost every single day for the past four years!

Even with his health declining rapidly, he still had his sense of humor. You could often hear him say “golden years my a**”. For the last six months, he was also being cared for by Nevaeh Hospice Care. When asked what he would say to God when he got to heaven, he replied “please let me in”! He was still joking and laughing with the staff at Fairwinds and Nevaeh right up until the end. He was able to talk to so many family members in his last week of life, but we knew he was looking forward to reuniting with all the ones he had lost, telling stories, and no doubt zinging them with his one-liners! And, he could not wait to give his mom a hug! There are so many other stories we could tell, but none of them could ever be told quite the same way as Jim could tell them!

Jim is survived by his wife Bethine; his son Jim Jr. and his kids Branton and Nicole; daughter Diane, son-in-law Matt Evanko, and their kids Taylor and Sean; and his daughter Mary. Also, Jim is survived by his younger brothers Tom and Joe, and younger sister Monica. Jim is preceded in death by his parents, his older siblings Lillian, JR, Joan, younger brother Lee, and by several in-laws and extended family members. The family wishes to have a private celebration at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please take the time to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie in his honor!

Arrangements entrusted to the caring professionals at

Trujillo Family Funeral Home

"Our Family Serving Yours"