If every life is a book with a beating heart, the last page turned for James Lucas was on Tuesday, June 19th when his heart stopped beating. The heroes in his story were close at hand and fought valiantly to save him. They were Maleah the Stalwart, Jayda the Brave, Nadia the Sweet, Sophia the Sincere, and Lilly the Beautiful. The sword they wielded was love and they fought valiantly.
James (for everyone called him James) was born on Sunday, October 30th, 1977 to James and Gloria Lucas. He grew up in Jennings with a handful of close friends and a feisty, yet quiet demeanor. But it wasn’t until James met his future wife, Rachel Allen that his heart really began to beat.
They met through a mutual friend in August of 1998. Rachel remembers that he was a private person, mysterious even, and that they never really had a first date. They mostly hung out with friends and inconspicuously gravitated toward one another. James was a steady person, solid and strong. She was drawn to his strength, and he found tremendous happiness in wrapping his arms around her to keep her safe.
Their little family grew by one when Maleah was born in 1999, and for James it was love at first sight. For who could resist those dark eyes and charming dimples? He always said he didn’t cry when she was born but witnesses say there were tears of unspoken joy. James and Rachel didn’t need any fanfare to make their love official and quietly married at the courthouse on January 17th of 2001 with a simple, “I do.”
James was a hard worker and devoted employee. He spent several years working for UPS, but in 2004 when the Lucas family began to outgrow their financial means, he took a job at Quick Trip Corporation where he proved to be a faithful employee and a benevolent steward. He worked the night shift in order to be home during the day to care for his girls but was so highly thought of that he floated from store to store as an emergency backfill, spending time in East Alton, IL, Granite City, IL, Florissant and Spanish Lake. When the family went shopping around town the familiar refrain from Quick Trip customers was, “Hey, James! Where have you been? When are you coming back?”
Because everybody loved James.
James was fiercely protective of his family; a trait he learned from his best friend; his father. Still, people often joked with James that he was the only male in his house and told him he needed a boy to balance out the femininity. But James said, “I don’t need no boy!” He was proud of his position as King of his castle. He wrestled with and tenderly teased his girls, often playing games with them like Rock Band on their Wii. He would gather them around him and say, “C’mon, we’re gonna get the band back together!” He also expressed his adoration for them with little nicknames like, “Chubby Cheeks”. He was frequently playful and sarcastic at home; a sensitive guy with a big heart, but he was never afraid to put on his Teflon demeanor should anyone cause hurt to his family. There was once a boy who started hanging around and causing problems for one of the girls and he calmly stepped outside and told him, “Don’t you come around here no more.” For that reason his girls would frequently come to him and ask for his advice when they had issues with friends because he was such an excellent judge of character.
James was an exceptional cook and loved to smoke meat. His favorites included pork loin and pork butt but his specialty was brisket. He had created his own special rub for the meat and nobody knew the secret recipe. James was often found cleaning or making dinner for his family while singing.
“He just loved music,” Rachel said. “He bought a mega boom speaker to hook up to his iPad so he could jam to Elton John, Johnny Taylor, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Bruno Mars. His frequent crooning was sometimes met with a “Hush, James!” but he paid it no mind. He would belt out tunes like “Rocket Man” and “Bennie and the Jetts” with aplomb to his audience of six. In fact, he nicknamed Nadia, “Bernie” because he thought she looked like a Bernice. Hence “Bennie and the Jetts” became “Bernie and the Jetts.” Another frequent favorite was “Cheaper to Keep her” by Johnny Taylor. He would bounce and warble, “‘Cause you gonna pay some alimony if you leave home, I tell y’all it’s cheaper to keep her. All the fellas know what I’m talking bout.”
James didn’t really love having his picture taken, probably due to his generally unassuming nature. His girls would lift a camera and he would cover his face and say, “No paparazzi!” But he took pride in his yard, going so far as to hire True Green to come in and help it flourish. His little gardens were the delight of his family and this year he had planned to make pickles for the first time. The tiny cucumbers are still growing on a plant in the back yard next to flourishing tomatoes.
James loved conspiracy theories and ruminated frequently on the pyramids and how they were “actually” built. He watched Ancient Aliens on the history channel and was the frequent cause of rolling eyeballs in the family as he proposed various theories. But he also loved to laugh and spent considerable time with his girls watching cartoons like Bob’s Burger’s and American Dad. He and Sophia loved to watch WWE; especially Mark Henry and John Cena. And if they weren’t laughing with him, he’d give them a swift poke in the ribs or a pinch on the cheek.
The Lucas girls were often the recipients of kind little gifts that James picked out especially for them. Christmas was a delight to all because each present was hand-picked by their daddy. “He was so thoughtful and creative about celebrating,” Rachel said. “Birthdays were sacred; it was just us.” Jayda is their resident baker. She frequently makes special cakes for family occasions but James refused to let her make her own Sweet 16 cake. He had a special cake made at Baskin Robbins but when he brought it home his wife lovingly nudged him, “It says 15, James. She is 16!” But he just laughed and added a candle. He was very particular about the little things, not big grand gestures.
James story seemed to have a very abrupt ending. He had been on medical leave for some months due to recurring seizures. And while he found the down time frustrating, he made up for it by caring for his family. Rachel said, “He took care of everything, and I mean everything! No one ever had to worry.” Thus his departure has been particularly difficult for those closest to him. But in some respects his story is not over. His heroes—his beautiful girls—will continue to tell the stories of their daddy and live out the love he had for them. He may have been young but he lived a full life. It was full of laughter, full of music, and full of love. He will be sorely missed but never forgotten.
The “James Lucas Memorial Fund” has been set up to provide financial support for the family.
c/o First Community Credit Union
17151 Chesterfield Airport Road
Chesterfield, MO 63005
or via paypal: Margaretwolfinbarger@gmail.com
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