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James Calvin Poling Jr., 54, went home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, surrounded by his loving wife and three adoring children.
Jim was anticipating having a liver transplant soon, but passed away due to sudden complications from his three-year battle with NASH liver cirrhosis.
James was born on July 30, 1966, in Parsons, to James Calvin Poling and Janice Fay Pennington Poling. Jim married his best friend and love of his life, Diana Lynn Arbogast, on Nov. 16, 1996, in Buckhannon.
Jim was a member of Living Hope Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Huntsville, Alabama. He was an amateur radio operator and proudly carried on his granddad's call sign, K8VWO.
He graduated from Tucker County High School in 1984. He received his Associates in Applied Science degree in Computer Science from Potomac State College in 1986 and his B.A. in Computer Science from Alderson Broaddus University in 1988.
At the time of his death, Jim had been employed at Huntington Ingalls -Technical Solutions Division in Huntsville, Alabama, on May of 2018 as a wide area network engineer. Prior to that, he was the senior network administrator at Davis Health System in Elkins since 2008. From 1998-2008, Jim was the Network Specialist for West Virginia Wesleyan College and from 1992-1998 was a computer programmer for MPL Corporation, both in Buckhannon. He was employed at DataServ as a programmer in Chantilly, Virginia, from 1988-1992. Jim had also worked as a tour guide for the NRAO in Greenbank, and as a counselor at YMCA Camp Horseshoe.
Jim was a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ and served Him and people with all his heart. Jim treasured spending time with his family. He loved studying God's word and was a wonderful example of what a Christian husband and father should be, leading his family even through his last moments on this earth.
Over the years, Jim served as treasurer at both the Elkins Alliance Church and Buckhannon Alliance Church, where he was an elder and ran the sound and video for a time as well. He also taught Sunday School classes, was an AWANA leader, a Bible quizzing coach, and assisted with children's hand bell choirs.
Jim's sense of humor was appreciated by everyone who knew him. He also enjoyed woodworking, gardening, hummingbird watching, music, cooking, HAM radio and astronomy.
He was a life-long learner and his vast knowledge was an asset to everyone who knew him.
James is survived by his parents, James and Janice Poling of St. George; his wife, Diana Poling of Athens, Alabama; one daughter, Sarah Ellen Poling of Huntsville, Alabama; two sons, Nathaniel "Nathan" Richard Poling and Jonathan Eugene Poling, both of Athens, Alabama; two brothers, Matthew Poling (Becky) and Joshua Poling (Stefanie), both of Parsons; and many other family members, who will miss him greatly.
A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, March 13, 2021, at 1:30 p.m. CT (2:30 p.m. ET). Pastor Mark Nymeyer will officiate. You can find the link for Living Hope Church's YouTube channel at the church's website www.livinghopehsv.org as we hope to stream the service for those who can't attend in person.
The family is also considering having another memorial service in Elkins at the Elkins Alliance Church sometime in the summer of 2021.
If you would like to honor Jim's memory, please consider donating blood to your local blood bank and becoming an organ donor. Some of Jim's coworkers have created a GoFundMe campaign to benefit his wife and children to cover expenses in the upcoming months. If you feel led you may contribute at https://gofund.me/b3064f57.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.McConnellFuneral.com.