Jim Dale Best 1935 - 2020

BEST, ONDRACEK

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 11/5/2020 at 12:52:08

Sioux City Journal
4 October 2020

Jim Dale Best

Sioux City

Jim Dale Best, 85, of Sioux City, passed away peacefully on Sept. 30, 2020, of natural causes.

Services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at the funeral home. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the family requests all attendees to wear a mask and observe social distancing. Online condolences can be expressed at www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Jim was born on Aug. 8, 1935, in Norfolk, Neb., to Marvin and Margaret Best and went to Norfolk High School. He worked as a delivery driver for 7Up and Coca Cola Bottling Company in Norfolk until 1967, when he moved to Sioux City, where he lived until the time of his death.

Jim married Barbara Ondracek on Aug. 15, 1953, and they were able to celebrate 67 years of marriage. In 1967, he started working with his father, Marvin Best as a carpet installer.

In 1972, Jim started Best Carpet Services with his wife, Barbara and sons and continued to install carpet until his retirement in 1997. Even after retirement, Jim enjoyed working part-time with his sons who carried on the family carpet business. Jim was involved with Boys of '68.

Jim was a very self-sufficient man and a jack-of-all-trades. He enjoyed country music, especially Jim Reeves, who was his favorite artist. Jim enjoyed playing pool and dealing Blackjack in his younger days.

He also enjoyed fishing, gardening, cooking, and baking. He was known for his homemade deer sausage and jerky from his sons hunting.

Jim was an artist and created beautiful oil paintings that he gave to his children and enjoyed playing darts with his grandchildren. He loved to tell stories while enjoying cold beer with family and friends.

Jim was a faithful Nebraska Cornhusker Football fan and treasured time spent watching the games with his family and friends. Go Big Red.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 67 years, Barbara (Ondracek) of Sioux City; his twin sons, Jerry (Tammy) and Larry (Michele) of Sioux City, sons, Don (Tracy) of Hinton, Iowa, Jim (Mavis) of Volga, S.D., and Randy (Jodi) of Sergeant Bluff; daughters, Sandy (Rick) Lara and Jenny Haltli (Bob Klemmensen) of Sioux City; sisters, Carol (Jack) Gildea and Linda (Dave) Doohen, all of Lompoc, Calif., and Susan Cutter of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; as well as 25 loving grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin and Margaret Best; infant twin sisters; and several uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Pallbearers will be his five sons and two sons-in-law.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family.