James "Jim" Hudson

James Paul Hudson

           A celebration of life for former longtime Wiley, Colorado resident currently of Amarillo, Texas, James Paul Hudson affectionately known as Jim, will be held at 10:00AM on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 at the Peacock Family Chapel with Ian Blacker of the Lamar Christian Church officiating. Full military honors and interment will follow at the Wiley Cemetery under the auspices of the local V.F.W. and American Legion Posts as well as burial rites under the auspices of the Lamar Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge #1319.

            Visitation for Jim will be held on Monday, March 13, 2023 from 4:00PM until 6:00PM at the Peacock Family Chapel.

            Jim was born on April 20, 1933 in Walsenburg, Colorado to Geraldine Hudson McAlpine and Victor Paul Hudson and passed away on February 24, 2023 at his home in Amarillo, Texas with his family by his side at the age of 89.

            Jim grew up in Walsenburg, Colorado, living in the Gardner and Redwing areas. His dad was a welder and his mom was a schoolteacher for many years.

            He started driving a semi and hauling cattle at age 16 and worked on ranches. Jim loved to rodeo and dance.

            When he was in Jr. High, he went to the La Junta Kids rodeo in steer riding and calf roping.

            Charlene went from Wiley and became the Kids Rodeo Queen. (She was the older women). Jim ended up being all around cowboy and she was queen. That meeting made an impression on both of them. Each went back to their hometowns, and life continued.

            Jim played basketball in high school and graduated from Walsenburg High School in 1950.

            The Korean War was in full force and Jim enlisted in the Navy. He was stationed aboard ship and went to the Philippines, Japan and Korea.  

            His mother, Geri, would send him care packages with cookies and one particular package had a full front-page article about Charlene Persyn, Queen of the Colorado State Fair.

            He thought to himself, I know her, and he wrote her a letter. The two began communicating by letter until Jim got leave and he drove to Wiley, Colorado. The couple got to know each other, and every time Jim was on leave for a week or so or in dry dock, he would go see Charlene. She would travel back and forth to see Jim.

            Finally, in August of 1952, Charlene and Jim’s aunt, Gertie Davis, drove to San Diego to see Jim. When the ladies arrived and Charlene saw Jim, they decided to get married. Gertie and Charlene went and looked for wedding dresses. Bud Davis, Gertie’s husband flew out to be part of the wedding party. Nothing like getting married with a bunch of rowdy sailors.

            The wedding was held August 21, 1952, in San Francisco, California. The couple rented a couple of apartments for about 3 months until Jim had to deploy out to sea. Charlene went back to Wiley and waited for Jim to get out of the Navy as an honored veteran.

            The two moved to Wiley, Colorado to start their new life together in farming and raising turkeys. The young couple owned a Pontiac car and drove to Michigan to purchase a new 50 ft trailer to live in the first part of their marriage.

            As the family grew, Jim was roping calves in Greeley, Colorado on the 4^th of July weekend and Charlene went along. They got quite a surprise… Cathy came early on the 4^th of July and Jim also did well roping.

            Two years later, they were expecting another baby, who came 3 months early---Sheri popped out. She had to have open heart surgery when she was very small, being a premature baby. God blessed us, as both girls grew up to have families of their own.

            As the family expanded, so did the size of the manufactured homes. In 1968 and 1969, Jim and Charlene built a new tri level home and the family moved in when the girls were junior high and high school.

            As Cathy and Sheri grew up, the Hudson’s bought a new station wagon and hauled Dudes and Dames square dancers a gillion miles across country. As parents, they were highly involved in school activities and supported the girls all the way.

            They joke around that Cathy was the organizer from when she was really little (and bossy). As the girls matured, Sheri always had a mind of her own. (If it was wrong, Sheri would do it twice with Shaun McVicker-Holland.)

            Many years later, Cathy and Sheri were talking and found out they always wanted to be like the other. Sheri was gutsy and not afraid of anything, and Sheri said she could never keep up with Cathy. Little did Sheri know that Cathy wanted to be gutsy like her younger sister. Lots of laughs over the years in the Hudson family.

            Jim and Charlene were known for how hard they worked. Ruben Wollert told Cathy she came from the hardest working family he had ever known. That is one of the best compliments a family can ever have.

            Jim started raising alfalfa hay the quality for dairy farms, going from Ohio, and Pennsylvania, to South Texas.

            Charlene had always been a career woman, managing a family and working at Guaranty Abstract in title work and at the State Bank of Wiley from many years.

            Hudson’s built a small feed yard for grower calves and started one of the best bloodlines of running Quarter Horses in the country. Jim also team roped, and the couple had large team roping events at the arena in Wiley, Colorado.

            During Jim’s cowboy years, he was president of the Vaquero’s Saddle Club and his sister Pat, was queen of the saddle club. They had the pleasure of riding in various parades with their dad, Paul Hudson.

            Jim and Charlene started traveling in one of their RVs across the US and would trade for a larger one, over the many years of traveling. Jim could park and handle a semi or rv in the hardest spots.

            They went to watch their good horses run and were members of various Good Sam’s traveling clubs. Cathy and Sheri both got married and each had a son. Thad Smotherman and Matt Centner. In turn, Hudson’s were blessed with granddaughters-in-law and great-grandchildren: Kaiya and Henlee Smotherman, and Jack and Vaughn Centner.

At this point in Jim and Charlene's life, they had been farming over 50 years and decided to retire and enjoy life. They became snowbirds, purchasing a place in Apache Junction, Arizona for over 20 years and back to their home in Colorado during the summers.

Hudson's had a farm auction, and it was like the social event of the year. Hard to give up a lifetime of working so hard.

Jim was a social butterfly. You would see him out in the middle of the street in Apache Junction resort, talking to all of his friends. He loved to play pool and cards.

In 2017, Jim and Charlene purchased a new home in Bushland, TX just outside of Amarillo, TX beside Victor and Cathy. They also sold their place in Arizona to make Texas their primary landing spot.

They enjoyed getting to have the kids and grandkids visit.

Hudson's had a lot of visitors from southeast Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma and Ohio stop in to say hello.

Jim and Charlene celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary at the Ericksons shop and had a huge crowd show up. Such a fun event. They have now surpassed 70 years together as of August 21, 2022.

Jim was one of the toughest men alive, as he went through so many surgeries.

The greatest gift from all is that Jim found GOD.

The family want to thank Peacock Funeral Home and Ian Blacker for a wonderful job with the services.

Gentiva Hospice from Amarillo Tx was absolutely one of the best experiences we have ever used.

Darlene Bilderback has given over one year of her life to come and live with Jim and Charlene during this trying time. She is an angel from heaven. Darlene is the darked haired other daughter. Darlene said that Jim and Charlene would never go to sleep or get up unless they kissed each other good morning and good night and say I LOVE YOU to each other.

Bev Ming helped with her knowledge of wholistic medicine and being the other daughter.

We want to thank Southern Charm Wedding and Events from Penrose Colorado (Cheri Tauton-Smotherman) for the beautiful funeral and casket arrangements.

Thanks to the Lamar Elks Lodge for providing the dinner meal for family and friends. (Lori Greene)

Sister Pat has over 40 years of various medical experience from ER RN to advanced EMT. Nothing helped more than 30 years in Advanced EMT to help with Jim’s care over his last week and prepare to take his last ride.

Darlene and Kenny Simmons are the best Texas neighbors ever.

He is preceded in death by his mother and step-father Geraldine Hudson-McAlpine and Mackie McAlpine, father and step-mother Paul Hudson and Kathryn Piner-Hudson, brother William Hudson and grandparents Wilson and Nellie Smith.

Jim is survived by his wife, Charlene Catherine Hudson of the family home in Amarillo, TX, two daughters and their husbands Cathy (Victor) Ericson of Amarillo, TX and Sheri (Rex) Centner of Wiley, CO, sister and her husband Pat Hudson-Dreiling-Foster and Steven Foster of Vega, TX, grandchildren Thad (Cheri) Smotherman of Penrose, CO and Matt (Adrienne) Centner of Pueblo West, Colorado, great-grandchildren Kaiya Smotherman and Henlee Smotherman of Penrose, CO and Jack Centner and Vaughn Centner of Pueblo West, CO. He is also survived by two adopted daughters that are like his own, Darlene Bilderback of Wallace, NC and Bev Ming of Pritchett, CO as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, great-nieces and nephews, and lifelong friends scattered through Colorado and Texas to Montana.