James Carey

James F. 'Jim' Carey, age 76, died Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006, at the Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, KS from congestive heart failure. He was born August 21, 1929 @ St. Louis, MO the son of Joseph & Justine Carey. He was a Garden City resident since 1981, having moved from Reno, NV. Jim won the Golden Gloves Lightweight Boxing Championship while attending St. Mary's High School in St. Louis. Following graduation, he served in the Army in the Korean War, receiving the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. Following the war, he attended Tokyo University in Tokyo, Japan. Jim then went on to Moberly Junior College in Moberly, MO in 1952, where he was a member of the college's National Championship Basketball team for 2 years. He was a 2 time All-American in 1953-55. Graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, he was the MVP of the Missouri Valley Conference 1956-57, the Drake basketball team captain and was an AAU All-American. Jim went on to obtain his Masters Degree in Education at Norheast Missouri State College and his Education Specialist degree in preparation for his Doctorate at the University of Nevada. Jim coached basketball at the high school in Tama, Iowa. He then moved on to coach 11 years at Ellsworth Jr. College in Iowa Falls, Iowa, where his team won the National Jr. College Championship in 1971. He is the only former player and coach to ever win the National Championship. Jim then left to become Assistant Basketball Coach at Arizona State University and then Division I Head Coach at the University of Nevada. In 1981, he came to Garden City,where he coached and taught at the Garden City Community College. Over the 5 decades of coaching, he won over 700 games, was a member of 6 Hall of Fames: AAU, NJCAA, Ellsworth College, Drake University, Moberly Jr. College & Garden City Community College. He was awarded the Governor's Award in the state of Nevada for recognition of his service. He was recently notified of being honored on the All Decade Team from the 1950's at Drake University. A devoted husband, father and coach to his former players, he enjoyed reading, gardening, swimming, Bass fishing, Cardinal baseball, his constant companion Cricket the cat, and spending time at their Cottonwood Lake home in Sterling, KS On June 7, 1959, he married Felecia Fountain in Clark, Missouri. She survives. Other Survivors include: 1 Son (& wife), Tim & Kathy Carey of Kinsley, Kansas,2 Daughters (& husbands): Quinn & Ty Walker of Garden City, Kansas and Erin & Robert Kelley of Dallas, Texas. 6 Grandchildren: Riley & Piper Kelley of Dallas, & Jaimie, Riane, Kameron & Kobe Carey of Kinsley. Memorial Services will be held at 3:00pm on Sunday, February 26, 2006 @ the Price & Sons Funeral Home in Garden City. There will be no calling times. Memorials may be given to the Finney County Humane Society in care of Price & Sons Funeral Home. Price & Sons Funeral Home 620 N. Main Garden City, Kansas 67846 620-276-2364