Obituary: James "Jim" McLain

James "Jim" McLain of Kinston, NC passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on November 11, 2023.

A Liturgy of the Word Service will be held in the Edwards Funeral Home Chapel, at 2pm on Thursday, November 16, 2023.

Jim was born in High Bridge, NJ to Theodore J. McLain, Sr. and Mary Hill on May 14, 1943. Growing up in NJ, Jim was a busboy at the exclusive restaurant The Timbers and always liked sharing the fact that he waited on celebrities like Ralph Bellamy, Shirley Booth, and Walter Cronkite. Jim was light on his feet and dancing brought him much joy. He was a dancer on the show American Bandstand. Jim enlisted in the Navy in 1960 and served aboard the Destroyer USS Fred T. Berry as a cook which later inspired him to go into the food industry as a wholesale baker. He graduated from the American Institute of Baking in Chicago, IL in 1964. Jim spent the next 45 years ensuring America had bread on the table. He retired from the wholesale baking industry in 2008. Jim was an avid member of the Elks Lodge for 54 years and a founding member of the Elks Lodge #2454 in Northdale (Syracuse).

When Jim and his wife, Cheryl, moved to Kinston in 1995 from Syracuse, NY, he transferred his membership to Kinston Elks Lodge #740. There he served as an Exalted Ruler for eight years and the District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for North Carolina East District. After retirement, Jim was a busy volunteer lending his talents in planning and cooking meals to feed the homeless at Mary’s Kitchen each week; Partnership For Children Board of Directors; Chairman of Safe Kids, Inc., and represented the Elks on the Alliance committee regarding drug awareness programs.

Jim also strived for improvement in Lenoir County and was a board member of Lenoir County Economic and Development. He served as president of the Golden Kiwanis organization and served as Chaplain for AmVets Post 1111. Jim was very active at the North Carolina Veteran’s Home since its opening and enjoyed visiting with the veterans when operating the canteen. He was honored for his volunteerism by the President of the United States with the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Jim’s passion for racing led him to experience driving a NASCAR on Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a dream come true topped off by meeting his favorite driver, Darrell Waltrip.

Jim is survived by his wife, Cheryl Bowman McLain, son Scott (Michele) McLain, daughter Sheri McLain, granddaughter Nicole McLain, and sister Suzanne Loftus. Jim is also survived by the mother of his children, Christine (Bill) Harp.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents and three siblings.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Elks National Foundation, 2750 N. Lakeview Ave., Chicago, IL 60614.

Arrangements made by Edwards Funeral Home & Cremations. Online condolences may be expressed at www.edwardsfhc.com.