James McCrary Obituary

James Andrew ("Jim") McCrary, 81, of Conway, SC, passed away peacefully on July 2, 2025, after a brief illness. The son of James Luther McCrary and Sally Marie Munsey McCrary, Jim, was born in 1943 in Kingsport, TN, and attended high school in Gate City, VA. As a teenager, he joined the Air Force, serving at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. After serving as part of the 622nd Air Refueling Squadron (TAC), he returned to Northeast Tennessee and eventually began work at Holliston Mills, launching a long career in sales for the textile industry. A longtime Willie Nelson fan, Jim took seriously Willie's call to get "On the Road Again." As he built his career, he lived in Columbus, Chicago, and Charlotte before settling back in Kingsport. While his home base returned to Kingsport, his work had him traveling the country and even the world, from flights to Asia and Europe to long drives up and down the eastern seaboard and across the Midwest as he worked to make connections with customers and colleagues. After decades of work on the road, Jim moved to Conway, SC in 2017 to spend time with his wife and his son's family. After retiring in 2020, his last years were filled with good food, the laughter of his grandson, and the companionship of his wife, Vicki. Jim is survived by Vicki McCrary, his wife of 44 years, as well as three children and their families: Jamie Caldwell and husband, Gary; Andrea McCrary and husband Adam; and Drew McCrary and wife, Megan, as well as three grandchildren, Rayne, Zuri, and Tripp. He is also survived by one sister, Martha Caperton, brother-in-law Shannon Gott, several nieces and nephews, including Jenniffer Valk and Elizabeth Gott, and several great-nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Jim is preceded in death by his sister Marie McCrary Wood and his father-in-law, GW Gott. A small family graveside service will take place at Hillcrest Cemetery in Conway, SC, on Sunday, July 6, at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Please sign a guestbook at www.watsonfuneralservices.com for online condolences. Watson Funeral Services and Crematory, 2300 Hwy 378, Conway, SC is serving the family. To send a flower arrangement in memory of James Andrew "Jim" McCrary, please click here to visit our sympathy store. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of James Andrew "Jim" McCrary, please click here to visit our sympathy store.