James Edward Lott

As a lifelong carpenter, James Edward Lott would have known best that sturdy construction only takes place on a solid foundation. And surely it was James Lott who was the foundation stone upon which a family was built.

Born in Lonoke, Arkansas on October 14, 1936, the third of five children to Luther Bee “L.B.” and Minnie Marie Lott, James would grow up on the family farm in Lonoke County, being taught by his father skills of self-reliance, such as how to tend the farm, hunt, fish, forage, and cut firewood. And more importantly, it was in that household that he would learn about love: God's love, loving and honoring his parents, how to show love to others, and how to respect others. He asked to be baptized in his early teenage years, when his family was attending the Bayou Meto Baptist Church.

As he came into adulthood and began making his way in life, he signed up with the U.S. Army in June of 1954, and was sent to Fort Leonard Wood to be trained as a combat engineer. After helping keep the peace in Europe for several years, he moved back to Lonoke, where he began the training as a carpenter that would come to define many of his contributions on earth. He saw again the lovely Pat Nowell when she was working at the Dairy Bar. He couldn’t believe this was the same small skinny girl with the white hair he had seen just a few years before at Leonard and Jeanetta’s taffy-pulling party. She had grown up beautifully, and he was smitten. When he later proposed, he swore that he would build her a new home within five years if only she would marry him.

They married on January 16, 1959, and from January 15, 1960 to March 23, 1964,  four children were born to James and Pat Lott: Carol, Beverly, Eddie and Gina. True to his word, when they left the hospital with their last newborn, they came home to the pretty new house that James had promised he would build for his bride, at 805 Hicks Street in Lonoke, Arkansas.

As the children grew and moved into adulthood, new homes were built. In between, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even a great-great grandchild were born, and the name "Papaw" was bestowed upon him.

James worked with a true servant's heart and an eye toward perfection. He was a man who was strong and capable, but always humble. His talents and capabilities in construction were gifts from God, nothing he created for himself. Much like the family that he had been blessed with. He served people by building and repairing things in their homes that they couldn't do for themselves. To his wife’s frustration at times, he would undercharge jobs. She thought he didn’t know his own value. But he knew his worth, but also knew he had to give away some of that which had been so freely given to him. 

If you want the proof of James's servant heart, just have a look around Needs Creek, where he spent the last decades of his life engaged in joyful worship and fellowship. The facilities and grounds that bear the indelible mark of his faithful work. And if you want proof of his talent, one need only take a look at his masterpiece: the home that, decades ago, he built for he and Pat to spend the rest of their lives in, a resplendent one-story home with a flourishing garden, the home of peaceful days with the love of his life and the happiest family Christmases and Thanksgivings you can imagine. Those of us who knew you as James, Daddy, or Papaw: we will love you always.

James was preceded in death by his wife, Pat, as well as his granddaughter, Audrey Little.

He leaves behind his children: Carol Lott-Sumler, Beverly Leach (Tony), James Lott, Jr., Gina Ferguson (Bill), grandchildren: Jeremy Phillips, Niki Nichols, Robert “Vivian” Dixon, James Lott III, and Emily Lott. He also leaves eleven great grandchildren and one great great grandchild.

 Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at Needs Creek Baptist Church in Greenbrier, Arkansas. A visitation will be held one hour before services at 10:00 a.m.

There will be no graveside services following the funeral and burial will be held at Needs Creek Cemetery under the care of Boyd Funeral Home.