Dr. James (Jim) O. Claxton passed away peacefully with his wife by his side on February 23, 2016, after a valiant three-year battle with Amyloidosis. He was born on March 10, 1931, in Springfield, Missouri, to the late Ann and O.L. Claxton. The oldest of four boys, Jim spent his childhood in Marshfield, Missouri, and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. In 1954, he married Nancy Jane Van Fleet in Carthage, Missouri.

Jim was a veteran of the U.S. Army where he served in the Korean War. In 1959, he graduated from The University of Kansas City Dental School, and began his practice in Springfield that spanned thirty-six years. He served as the president of the Springfield Dental Society in 1972, and was a longtime member, Elder, and Stephen Minister of First and Calvary Presbyterian Church. During his retirement, Jim volunteered for Meals on Wheels, golfed with his friends, and enjoyed spending time with loved ones at Table Rock Lake.

He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers. He will be greatly missed by his surviving family which includes: his wife, Nancy, of sixty-one years, their daughters, Cathy Claxton, Dallas, Texas; Leslie Claxton, Rolla, Missouri; Nancy Hooper, Fort Worth, Texas; Sally Larson and husband Kurt, of Springfield; four grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Visitation is Sunday, February 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, and the Memorial Service is Monday, February 29, 11 a.m., at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church, with Rev. Gary Stratman officiating, followed by a reception. Burial will be at Missouri Veterans Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Missouri Safe and Sober (www.missourisafeandsober.com) or the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks (www.bcfo.org).