In Loving Memory
James Mountain Inhofe - devoted husband, father, son, brother, and grandfather - passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, surrounded by family with his wife, Kay, holding his hand. His 89 years were defined by his strong faith, love of family, and service to our country. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 17, 1934, to Perry Dyson Inhofe and Blanche Phoebe Mountain Inhofe. From his earliest moments, an emphasis was placed on faith and family. One of the most important relationships in his life began at a young age and endured until his passing: a deep friendship with his beloved sister, Marilyn Davis.
Jim’s lifelong love of Oklahoma began at eight when his family moved to Tulsa. The Inhofes settled in a neighborhood where Glade and Marie Kirkpatrick and daughter Kay lived a few doors down the street from them. In 1942, they probably never imagined that Jim and Kay would one day marry and raise their family in that same neighborhood where they continued to live, surrounded by kids and grandkids. Jim graduated from Central High School in 1953 and served in the United States Army from 1957-1958, stationed at Fort Lee, Virginia. He graduated from the University of Tulsa.
On December 19, 1959, Jim and Kay married in the First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa. Their family quickly grew to four children: Jimmy, Perry, Molly, and Katy. It was a life full of family dinners, weekends at Grand Lake, and a busy schedule of school and sports activities as the kids moved through Eliot and Edison. Family was his priority. Those he worked with knew his standing rule: "If a phone call comes from Kay or the kids, interrupt me no matter what I am doing." The list of interruptions is long, including Heads of State, Senate Hearings, and more. And he always took the phone call. He had the Senate voting schedule changed on multiple occasions so he could attend family sporting events or make it back to celebrate his and Kay's 60th wedding anniversary. The message to his family was always clear: you come first. His friends and colleagues always comment that you cannot have a conversation with Jim Inhofe without him bringing up his family and Jesus.
Jim was sworn in as a United States Senator on November 17, 1994, the date of his 60th birthday. He would serve in this position, filling important roles such as the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, until 2023. He is the longest-serving United States Senator in Oklahoma's history. Jim’s life of public service began in 1966 and included other elected positions such as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the Minority Leader of the Oklahoma Senate, the Mayor of Tulsa, and a member of the United States House of Representatives.
His legacy is one of a staunch conservative with the steadfast intentionality to forge relationships across aisles, believing that common ground could always be found among friends. Stories have flowed of colleagues who looked to him as a mentor and role model, constantly seeking out his opinion on issues. Equally important are the testimonials of his deep relationships with members with opposing points of view, colleagues who have been outspoken in their trust and respect for him, and the value they place on their relationship. He listened to others and actively sought fundamental similarities to reach agreements. He was straightforward - if Jim disagreed with you, he would let you know. It is a trait that cannot help but stand out in a crowd of indirect positions. Jim got things done.
Throughout his Congressional career, Jim championed policy important to Oklahomans and the nation. As Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, he voted on and authored more than half of all the annual National Defense Authorizations enacted by Congress since 1961 – a bill that he considered the most consequential legislation Congress passed each year. His leadership and partnership on issues impacting our nation's men and women in uniform were honored by the passage of the James Mountain Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. He safeguarded Oklahoma installations, amidst consolidation of military bases nationally, Oklahoma consistently strengthened during his tenure. He understood the threats the United States faces, often being the one to call attention to the issue before it happened, and acted accordingly. Jim led the efforts to establish critical national security efforts such as the European and Pacific Deterrence Initiatives and the United States Space Force. He was a founding member of the Senate Army Caucus. Amidst all this, he never lost sight of what mattered most: the service member and his or her family. Jim fought tirelessly to ensure military families would have quality housing, leading to the Department of Defense’s Tenant Bill of Rights. He utilized his position to hold hearings and committee investigations, resulting in the prosecution of corrupt civilian housing executives. He visited countless war zones to spend time with American troops. He made an intentional commitment to meet with service members every time, learning their names and story and calling their families upon his return to share the great work their son or daughter was doing for their country. He found common ground across the aisle because he believed our men and women in uniform deserved more than partisan politics, and the world is safer because of it. As Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, he sought agreement where possible across the aisle on issues when no one else would. He enacted legislation to restore the nation's water infrastructure and the FAST Act, the largest single highway infrastructure investment in Oklahoma's history. He also wrote the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act, which updated the United States government's outdated chemical safety laws. His care for others and his willingness to seriously listen to opposing positions allowed him to find common ground when it did not seem possible. Throughout his time in Washington, DC, he returned home to Oklahoma every weekend to spend time with Kay, his kids and grandkids, and the Oklahomans he loved serving.
Jim became a licensed pilot in 1958, an achievement that not only was linked to a lifelong love of flying but also to consistent leadership in aviation legislation. He was a pilot's pilot, with ratings for single, multiengine, instrument, seaplane, and commercial. He logged 11,000 hours of flight time, including a flight around the world that followed the path of Oklahoman Wiley Post. His personal aviation experience drove him to pass meaningful legislation like the Pilot’s Bill of Rights, which armed pilots to defend themselves against investigations from the FAA, or the Hoover Bill, granting pilots the right to immediately appeal license revocations. He announced his candidacy for Senate in 2020 while flying his RV-8 upside down. He loved his airplane community, time at the hangar, and 43 annual trips to Oshkosh with his kids, grandchildren, and friends. He was known for flying his Grumman Tiger to the state's most remote areas, holding town halls and meetings with Oklahomans. For many of these communities, he was the first and remains the only Senator who made himself so openly and readily available to talk with anyone about any issue. Jim cherished these visits, which he could make frequently because of his vast piloting experience.
One of the most important aspects of his life was his work in Africa. He completed 172 African country visits as a United States Senator, more than any other senator in United States history. During his visits, Jim was as much an Ambassador of Jesus as an Ambassador of the United States. His first visit to Africa was in 1998 with his daughter Katy, and his final visit was in 2022 when he visited Ethiopia, Kenya, and Rwanda with his daughter Molly. He shared Jesus with leaders across the continent, as well as love and respect, which he believed to be the cornerstone of any relationship the United States would have with African countries. He led the effort to establish U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), a single military command focused solely on the African continent and a critical step in assuring Africa that America cares. In 2018, Jim prayed with two Kenyan political rivals following a period of violence throughout the country. Following their shared prayer, the two opponents publicly shook hands and declared themselves "brothers." This was a watershed moment, delivering the country into a period of calm after post-election polarization. His work in Africa is renowned for how he built and maintained relationships across decades and borders. His version of diplomacy became a model for others - based on prayer, respect, and finding common ground through friendships. President Kagame, who became a close friend, sums up the thoughts of many African leaders by describing Jim Inhofe as a singular friend of the African continent. Jim's heart remained with Africa throughout the years until the very end.
Jim considered his staff a part of his family and lovingly referred to his former staff as "has-beens." Thirty-four of his Senate staff loyally served over a decade alongside him, an unprecedented number. His family recalls that while he was proud of his many policy accomplishments, he always felt his greatest achievement at work was the Inhofe community of “has-beens," who he knew were central to his effectiveness. They will remain a strong community, within which he is affectionately known for his two questions when getting to know someone: do you know Jesus, and do you like to fly? And, of course, they all learned how to deliver A Message to Garcia.
While Jim’s accomplishments in Oklahoma, our country, and across the world speak for themselves, his favorite role was that of being Pop-I: husband of Mom-I, father to their four kids, and grandfather to twelve whom he loved beyond measure. Time spent with his grandkids focused solely on teaching, loving, and serving them. His countless acts to serve each of them were always followed with "That is what Pop-Is are for," a testament to the life he led. Our Pop-I loved cooking breakfast for everyone at the lake, teaching the kids to fish in the bay in South Texas and at the dock at Grand Lake, rides in the tractor and the Boston Whaler, bringing them on long morning walks, the Sunset Club, porpoise patrols, ice cream for breakfast, grandkids’ sporting events, guitar playing throughout the year and guitar carols at Christmas, at the hangar watching planes take off and land, High Noon, chopping trees and splitting logs, and Pop-I’s food traditions throughout. The morning of July 4, the day of his stroke, he read Day 186 of Bill Bright’s Promises, walked Mutt, cooked breakfast for Mom-I, called his daughters and son, set up an umbrella at the dock for grandkids, visited with longtime neighbors, worked on several outdoor projects with his son Jimmy, and more. Indeed, for 89 years, he never stopped moving. In fact, we realize now that he was old for the first time during his last 4 ½ days. He instilled a love for Jesus, family, friends, and hard work in his family. He never asked anyone to do anything he would not do. He saw the best in people and always reminded us that you never know what someone else is going through. He cared about others more than himself and the world is a better place because of the love that he showed to everyone he met for more than 89 years.
Most importantly, he loved Mom-I. They grew up within walking distance and remained each other’s biggest advocates and closest friends. They talked to each other constantly during the day, whether about big things or small. They played cards together, enjoyed their family, and loved each other unconditionally. Jim referred to her as his rock, they included each other in everything. They both loved building traditions as a family, probably not realizing that the most important tradition they shared with us was that we saw first-hand how much they loved each other. That love was illustrated in so many small acts every single day. He was such a blessing to our family.
James Mountain Inhofe – Pop-I - was a Mountain of a man. And we miss him immeasurably already.
Jim is survived by his wife of sixty-four years, Kay Kirkpatrick Inhofe, their son James Mountain (Shannon) Inhofe II, and daughters Molly (Jimmy) Rapert and Katy (Brad) Swan. Pop-I is also survived by his grandchildren Maggie (Cameron) Hillier, Molly Inhofe, James Inhofe, Glade Inhofe, Cole Inhofe, Jase Rapert, Luke Rapert, Jonah Rapert, Marie Rapert, Kate Swan, Ellie Swan, Jesse Swan, and his sister Marilyn Davis. He is preceded in death by his son Perry Dyson Inhofe II, his parents Perry and Blanche Inhofe, his wife’s parents Glade and Marie Kirkpatrick, his sister Joan Johnson and his brother Perry Dyson Inhofe, Jr. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to either Project Mercy in Ethiopia (www.projectmercy.org) or First Presbyterian Church of Tulsa (firstchurchtulsa.org). The family would like to express deep gratitude to the staff and doctors of the 7th floor Neuro Trauma Intensive Care Unit of St. John’s Hospital for the extraordinary care and support they provided Jim and his family.
In lieu of flowers, please click here to make a donation to Project Mercy.
At this time, public services for Senator Inhofe are pending. Please continue to check our website for updates. Thank you.
