Jim Estes Obituary (2015)

PARKMAN- Jim Estes, a family man, known for his love of life, gentle spirit and giving soul, dies at age 55. James Hilton Estes, born 1959 in Newnan, Georgia, died on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, of injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Guilford, Maine. Jim was his own man: happy, stubborn and lived in a very black and white world. Jim never wanted to be buried in a box, but rather, asked to be placed in the woods next to a tree with a gun in his hands so someone could pry it away from his fingers years down the road. Jim was a man living an analog life in a digital world. Jim's only digital footprint came from those of us who loved him enough to share his pictures and stories online. Jim never wanted 'them' to find him. There was no engine too seized for Jim to not get running. Jim had an uncanny knack to be able to squeeze 3 or 4 times the useful life out of any vehicle, no matter the number of wheels or cylinders. Jim would repair, rebuild and improve these vehicles and then proceed to smoke the tires right off of them, with or without the authorities following closely behind him. It is no wonder Jim drove a truck for a living. Jim loved cars and Jim loved to go fast. More than cars, Jim loved this girl he met as a teenager in Maine. For 35 years, it was always "Jim and Tammy" and is an example of a marriage that would never end. Tammy gave to Jim two wonderful boys who have grown into fathers themselves, Russell and Tony. These four people were more than just a family, they are still to this day the closest of friends. He gave his family an appreciation for the love of nature, people around them and music (and fast cars and bikes). Jim taught everyone around him to live each day to the fullest. He would give the shirt off of his back to anyone in need. While Jim may not have had much money, any money he had went to someone he felt was deserving. Jim's soul left this world while his eyes and heart valves will live on in in other people. Jim never stopped giving from the day he was born. Last Wednesday, Jim went to be with his dad, Hilton Clark Estes, whom we know prepared a party in Heaven for his arrival. We will miss him. Jim's mother, Sarah Estes, and sister, Anne Estes (Damon) are mourning the loss of their son and brother. Jim's younger brother, Tillman, with whom Jim shared a birthday one year apart, along with his wife Rose, will miss Jim until we meet again. Jim and Tillman were a pair of inseparable mischievous boys, and as men, well the same. As a final farewell, close family, children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and greats, along with friends from Georgia to Maine, will gather to celebrate his life throwing one last party at the family home with music and singing and to share the wonderful and funny stories of Jim. This will be the event of the season ! "He was a simple kind of man..." Cremation arrangements by Crosby & Neal, Guilford.