James W. “Jim” McFarland

James W. “Jim” McFarland, surrounded by his family, passed away peacefully Tuesday evening, August 19, 2025. He was the son of the late William “Ed” and Genevieve Maston McFarland. He was a loved and respected member of the George Street Church of Christ.

Jim was a member of the 1957 class of St. Marys High School. He loved baseball and was a catcher for the Blue Devils. He finished high school with a .500 batting average. After high school, he signed with the North Platte Indians, a farm club for the Cleveland Indians. In the spring of 1958, he went to the Florida State League where he played 116 of 160 games.

In December of 1958, he married his first wife, Joanna Johnson. After a short time at Hope Gas, he went to work in December of 1959 at Union Carbide as a chemical operator. He transferred to the maintenance department, where he worked as a pipefitter and welder for the next seven years. Jim and Joanna had three children, Steve, Lisa, and Patricia. He was quoted as saying, “Every spring I would get grouchy and pout around because I was not playing ball.” So, he started coaching Little League Baseball, Pop Warner Football and American Legion Baseball. Jim loved baseball and enjoyed fast pitch softball and baseball for a number of years. He also became a volunteer fireman and a member of the Pleasants County Volunteer Emergency Squad.

In 1972, Jim accepted the job of Pleasants County Park Superintendent. During his time at the park, he made many improvements, including a new swimming pool, built new shelters and made upgrades to the baseball field. Some said he could even hear the water being disturbed if someone sneaked into the pool after hours. He was also instrumental in building the new park at Belmont, building two ball fields, tennis court and parking lot. He was a supervisor for the Upper Ohio Soil Conservation District from 1975 to 1981 and worked on many flooding and drainage problems in the county.

While he was Superintendent, the Pleasants County Commission purchased the Park School (now the Jim Spence Center) and Jim developed after school programs for kids, even helping them learn to read and do arithmetic. He loved kids and he loved his time at the park.

Jim was a member of the Belmont Lions Club, a fifty-year member of St. Marys Masonic Lodge #41 and also a fifty-year member of the Eastern Stars. He received the Distinguished West Virginian Award in 2000, a key to St. Marys and numerous other accolades.

In 1980, he was approached by the Democrat Committee just one month prior to the primary election and was asked to run for Sheriff as a write-in candidate. Jim saw it as a challenge and he agreed to run. He won the election and served two terms as Sheriff from 1981-1988. Under his leadership and because of state mandates, law enforcement went from a staff of three with Deputy Larry Barnhart, Jailor Archie Brown and Jim to a staff of more than eight, which also eventually produced two more Sheriffs. There were also upgrades and remodeling of the tax office.

After his second term as Sheriff, understanding the county budget and knowing the people of Pleasants County he decided to run for County Commissioner. He served two six-year terms on the Commission from 1989 to 2000, working with his fellow Commissioners to extend water service to outer parts of the county and other improvements to Pleasants County, but he just felt he didn’t do enough and you couldn’t please all the people all the time. With the help of many good people, Jim served as a public servant for 28 years.

August 11, 1989, Jim married his second wife, Pam Smith, who was serving as a Deputy Sheriff. Her daughter Holly, became Jim’s third daughter. He then went to work for the St. Marys Police Department part time and drove a school bus for the Pleasants County Board of Education. He was a bus driver for two years and remained on the St. Marys Police force for a total of 12 years before retiring for good.

In 2017, Jim was chosen as the St. Marys High School Alumnus of the Year by the Alumni Committee. He loved his class of ’57 classmates.

In addition to his parents, Jim was preceded in death by his first wife, Joanna McFarland and his younger brothers, twins Bob and Ronnie. He is survived by his wife, Pam; sister, Carol Wheaton; son Steve and his wife Dolly; three daughters, Lisa Wilson and her husband Lew, Patricia Miller and her husband John, and Holly Smith-Holstein and her partner Lori; 11 grandchildren; 14 great-grandchildren; nieces, nephews and cousin who were all special to him and many, many friends.

A memorial service will be 2:00 P.M. Saturday, August 30, 2025, at Ingram Funeral Home, St. Marys, WV with David Kelly and Rob Fraser officiating. Friends may call from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. Saturday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Class of 1957 Scholarship Fund, c/o Pleasants Community Foundation, 309 Second Street, St. Marys, WV 26170. An online guest register is available at www.ingramfh.com.