Jim Houston is a Union County legend, just as surely as if he had sung at the Grand Ole Opry. Mr. Houston passed away June 8, 2021, at age 80. He served as county clerk for 12 years and was a long-standing member of Valley Grove Missionary Baptist Church where he sang in the choir and served as a deacon.
A natural leader, Jim was one of the founding members of the Union County Rescue Squad and he served as captain for 27 years. He was a member of the Tennessee Association of Rescue Squads until 2018 and had served as Region 2 vice president. The Rescue Squad is important in Union County, handling the customary vehicle extractions and also water rescue on Norris Lake.
Mr. Houston was steadfast, as shown by his dedication to keeping the clock for basketball games at Union County High School. He started at age 16 and continued for 63 years, through the 2020-2021 season. He grew sugar cane to make molasses on his family farm in Sharps Chapel.
The family will receive friends 4-7 p.m. Friday, June 11, at Cooke-Campbell Mortuary Chapel. Interment will be Saturday. Additional obituary information is here.