Jim passed away peacefully on April 9, 2015 surrounded by his family. He was born in Willow Springs, Missouri on July 11, 1941 to Alfred Massey and Dorothy (Montgomery) Massey. Jim grew up in Bolivar, Missouri and possessed a life long thirst for knowledge. He eagerly shared all he had learned with anyone he encountered, and while often not heard immediately, his wisdom will echo in our hearts for many years. In 1959, Jim graduated from Bolivar High School. In 1962, he graduated at the top of his class from Drury College with a bachelors of science degree in chemistry and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Eta Sigma fraternities. In 1966, he earned a doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Missouri at Kansas City School of Dentistry and was a member of Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Honorary Dental Fraternity. Upon graduating, he served in the U.S. Navy as a dentist and was stationed at Camp Pendleton, California. He returned to Springfield in 1968 to establish a dental practice and in 1973 joined with his friend Dr. John Craig to open a practice in the Wedgewood neighborhood. He loved his work and patients, and after a 43 year career, retired in 2011. In addition to dentistry, Jim loved the outdoors and was passionate about his numerous hobbies, which he whole-heartily pursued. He was an avid photographer and went on many "hunting" trips with his camera in hand. He was a conductor of a small train set which sprawled throughout the living room for decades. He loved sci-fi movies and Star Trek. He enjoyed endless hours of tinkering in his workshop - building clocks and lamps from scraps, woodworking, leather working, and so much more. Jim was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred Massey and Dorothy (Montgomery) Massey, and his brother-in-law, Monte P. Stewart. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Carol Massey; children, Jim Massey and wife, Summer, of Springfield, Tisha Martin and husband, Trevor, of Boise, Idaho, Jeff Massey of St. Louis, Jared Massey of Springfield, and Barbra Myers of Jupiter, Florida; grandchildren, Jacob Austin, Sadie Martin, and Greta Martin; sister, Barbara Stewart; nephew, Brandon Stewart; and his loving happy dog, Dancer. Thank you to the physicians and staff at Mercy Hospital and Mercy Rehab Hospital Springfield who helped Jim in the last few months, particularly the compassionate staff in the ICU, and hospice/palliative care unit. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Wounded Warrior Project or the Mercy Health Foundation.