James Pierpont Underwood, Jr., 81, of Springfield, Mo., passed away Monday, June 27, 2011, at a Springfield hospital. Born April 18, 1930 in Clinton, Mo., he was the older of two sons born to Mary Helen and James Pierpont Underwood, Sr. In those hard, Depression-era days, he took it upon himself to look after his younger brother, Joe, and saw to it that both continued their education even through the family's economic struggles. He moved to Springfield, Mo. in 1942, and grew into a strong and athletic young man, who distinguished himself early on, both as a hard worker of odd jobs and as a star offensive back for his Central High School football team. A knee injury ended his college sports ambitions, but a quick mind, well-suited for math, engineering and economics guided him to studies at Drury College. He worked at the Frisco Railroad, while he attended classes at Drury, where he also became a member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity. While at Drury, on blind date, he met his future wife, the former Jessie Elizabeth "Betty" Carroll, with whom he would celebrate 57 years of marriage before her death on June 15, 2009. They married June 8, 1953 in Thayer, moved to Independence, Mo. and later to Kansas City, Mo., after turning down a promising offer to work in the banking industry. Instead, he proudly chose a position with an American icon, Hallmark Cards, where he remained for more than 30 years. He also served in the Missouri National Guard. The couple had two children, a son, James C., and a daughter, Amy. When the couple retired to Springfield, Mo., he continued his life- long passions with World War II history and aviation, and remained an avid sports fan, particularly enjoying baseball, football and golf. A major portion of his retirement time was spent managing the family-owned commercial enterprise. He is preceded in death by his wife, Betty, and son, James C. He is survived by his daughter, Amy, of Tulsa; his brother, Joe and sister-in-law, Glenda of Lexington, Il.; a cousin, Jack Hasten and his wife, Carolyn, and their son, Brandon; a nephew, Aaron and his wife, Angie of Long Grove, Il., and their children, Amanda, Alex and Andrew; a niece, Jill Forrest, and her husband, Tom, of Bellflower, Il., and their children, Rachel Weckel of St. Joseph, Il., and Hannah of Bellflower, Il; and other family members, Chance Hasten of Springfield, Mo., and Pat Upton of Tulsa. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m., Friday, July 1, 2011 at Maple Park Cemetery, under the care of Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The First Tee of Greater Kansas City, 7501 Blue River Rd., Kansas City, MO, 64132, (913) 648-7177, or online at http://www.thefirstteekc.org/club/scripts/section/section.asp?NS=GDC