James R. Ervi

Services for Jim Ervi will be Saturday, May 6, 10:00, at the Presbyterian Church in
Salado with Carl Thompson officiating. A burial will follow at Salado Cemetery
with Military Honors. Jim was born on February 19, 1933, in Electra, TX. He was
raised by his mother, Gladys Ervi, until her death when he was 8 years old. He
moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where he lived with his grandparents on a farm.
His grandmother died when Jim was 15, and with the assistance of his aunts, who
lied about his age, he enlisted in the US Army at age 16.  Jim did well at his basic
training and attended leadership school. After being in the Army for only a year,
he was sent to Korea to fight in the Korean War. He saw his first combat in August
1950. He became a platoon sergeant while in the war, still only 18 years old.  He
returned from Korea and was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He began visiting
back home in Bartlesville, where he went on a blind date with Roxie Berry, his
eventual wife of 51 years.  They married in late 1952, while Roxie was in the
middle of her Senior year in high school. Jim had received orders to Germany, and
Roxie followed him there after graduating high school in May 1953. Jim graduated
from helicopter school in Fort Rucker, Alabama in 1957.  He was sent to Korea for
a year in 1961.  Jim moved his family to Killeen in 1964, and he and Roxie bought
a home there.   Jim was sent to fly Huey gunships in the Vietnam War in 1965. 
After his return from Viet Nam, Jim and his family moved to Verona, Italy for two
and a half years.  Then Jim returned to Vietnam for another year before retiring
from the US Army in 1969.  He then worked for a Military Service Company selling
to the varied units on Fort Hood.  He was very successful, and then operated a car
lot in Killeen for a few years, while also aiding Roxie in operating a convenience
store in Granger.  They moved to Salado on 10 undeveloped acres that they
transformed into a small cattle ranch.  Jim treasured every inch of the place and
spent the rest of his life trying to make it a little more beautiful every year. Jim
was a devoted grandfather. He attended all his grandchildren’s sporting events.
He is survived by his three sons: James and wife Kitty of Killeen, Mark and wife
Mary of Killeen, and Barry, who lives in Carrollton.  He has 6 grandchildren and
two great grandchildren. The visitation will be one hour prior to the service.  In
lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Presbyterian Church of Salado, 105

Salado Plaza Drive, Salado, TX 76571. Services are in the care of Broecker Funeral
Home of Salado. Please sign the guestbook: Broeckerfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of James R. Ervi, please visit our floral store.