PARSONS – Tucker County residents continue to mourn the loss of Parsons resident and well-known businessman James Norman “Jim” Propst, who passed away Friday morning, surrounded by his family while a patient of West Virginia Caring.

Propst was a graduate of Parsons High School with the class of 1952 and was a United States Army Veteran, serving with the 11th Airborne during the Korean Conflict. He was a business owner for 55 years, operating Jim’s Allstar Grocery of Parsons, the Mountain Top Market in Thomas and a furniture store. He drove a school bus and a milk truck and was the Tucker County OEM Director for many years. Propst was a fire fighter with the Parsons Volunteer Fire Department for 67 years and formerly served as the department’s Assistant Chief. He was a Tucker County Commissioner and was named as the Tucker County Chamber of Commerce “Tuckineer” and Business Persons of the Year. He was a member of the Parsons Nazarene Church and was named to the Parsons High School Hall of Fame.
Tucker County Clerk Sherry Simmons said Propst was a highly valuable and respected former Tucker County Commissioner, former Director of the Tucker County Office of Emergency Management and a member of the Parsons Volunteer Fire Department.
“Jim spent many selfless years for the betterment of Tucker County and its citizens,” Simmons said. “Tucker County is a better place because of Jim and the effects of his passing are already being felt.”
Simmons said Propst was a wonderful employee who understood the meaning of the word “team.”
“He was always more focused on the good of the county and the fire department than on matters of his own benefit. He made many great contributions to everyone and helped move Tucker County forward in numerous ways. His work will not be forgotten,” Simmons said. “He was a remarkable man and everyone in Tucker County is better for having known him. Those of us that had the privilege of calling him “friend” were humbled by his kindness and compassion to everyone around him. He truly made a great impact on me.”
Simmons said Propst was a true humanitarian as well as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.
”He will be greatly missed and everyone is saddened by his death,” Simmons said. “Know that our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Tucker County Commission President Lowell Moore said the news of Jim’s passing is a sad time for the family and for Tucker County.
“Jim has served Tucker County in many different areas,” Moore said. “He was a lifetime business person, former OEM director, Parsons Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief as well as a two-term Tucker County Commissioner.”
Moore said although Propst is gone, his accomplishments and legend will last forever.
“Jim was not just an ordinary person to me – he was my great friend,” Moore said. “I offer my sincere condolences to the Propst family.”
Moore said he and Propst had been friends for many years.
“During my junior and senior year in high school, Jim was my bus driver and he was young at that time,” Moore. “When he retired from being Tucker County OEM Director they had a dinner at the Senior Center and I remember telling folks about him being my bus driver and how my neighbor and I walked more than we rode the bus. Jim burst out laughing – telling everyone we boys tried to see how far we could push him. Moore said Propst said he never had to put a chain on the bus because Moore and his neighbor always took responsibility for helping. We thought the world of Jim.”
“This is a big loss for us and for the county,” Moore said.

Tucker County Magistrate and former Tucker County Prosecuting Attorney Mont Miller said he was sad to hear of the news of Propst passing.
“I really liked Jim and worked with him when he was Tucker County Commissioner,” Miller said. “Jim was a hard worker and he worked to make sure the county had the best. He tried to get the most bang for the buck he could for Tucker County.”

Miller said Propst did the most for the county with the least amount of taxpayer money spent.
“He treated the county’s money pretty much like it was his,” Miller said. “He did not go out and spend a bunch of money that didn’t need spent. If we needed something he went out and made sure it was what the county needed and made sure they got what was needed.”
Miller said Propst had a great sense of humor.
“I will never forget when we had private auditors come in one year,” Miller said. “This was back in the 1980s and private CPAs were hired to do the audit. They had never done one before and they filed an audit that said one of the offices ‘might be $3,000 short.’ One of the newspaper reporters covering the Tucker County Commission meeting asked what the commission intended to do about the finding. Propst jokingly told the reporter they were going to attach the officer’s wages. We all laughed, but the newspaper reporter put the statement in the newspaper and quoted that I made that statement. Needless to say, the officer was in my office about 10 minutes after the paper came out. Jim said it as a joke and we had a big laugh. I never let him live it down. Of course, there was no money missing – the auditors just didn’t know what they were doing.”
Miller said he wanted to offer his condolences to the Propst family. “Jim is really going to be missed,” Miller said.
Former Tucker County OEM Director Jonathan Hicks said he followed Propst as the OEM Director.
“I followed him as OEM Director but I knew him for several years prior to that and worked with him on the LEPC. He was a man of integrity who cared tremendously about the people of Tucker County. When I took over as OEM director, he provided me both guidance and support and was always there when I had questions or needed help. Jim will be missed,” Hicks said.
Darla Stemple, Director of the Tucker County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management/911, said Propst was well known and well respected among his peers throughout the state.
“He cared deeply about all the residents of Tucker County and was quick to respond to their needs,” Stemple said. “He was my boss and he was over the 911 Center for a while.”
Stemple said the job of OEM has evolved since Propst served Tucker County.
“When he was the OEM, if someone called and said their heat was out, he would take them a heater,” Stemple said. “Back then, that was the acceptable practice. By today’s standards, with all of the liability and the new way of doing things, if someone calls and their electricity is out, we open a shelter.”
Stemple said when Propst was OEM, watching the rivers for potential flooding was all accomplished without today’s technology, but was labor intensive.
“Propst and his workers would have to sit up all night and go out and watch the rivers,” Stemple said. “Today with technology, I am able to sit at home and watch the rivers electronically. He had it a whole lot harder trying to gauge what the rivers were going to do. This was before technology, and how he had to do his job.”
Stemple said Propst will be extremely missed.
“He was a wealth of information and especially here at the center, we are mourning the loss of a former coworker and friend,” Stemple said. “We want to offer our condolences to his family.”
Parsons Volunteer Fire Chief Kevin White said Propst volunteered at the department for 67 years.
“I have known Propst for many years and had the pleasure of growing up down the road from him,” White said. “I worked for him for several years when I was a teenager.”
White said Propst’s influence piqued his interest in becoming a fireman.
“He has always been a mentor to me,” White said. “He was a leader in our community and he brought a lot of positives to Tucker County as a whole – not just to the city of Parsons. He was one of those people you could count on to be there. Anything you needed at any time – he would drop what he was doing to help out.”
White said he was always willing to help.
“Propst gave countless volunteer hours to the Parsons Fire Department,” White said. “Even though we will have to move forward without him, the mark he has made on our fire department will reign for many years to come.”
White said the Parsons Fire Department is a close family. “We see things people do not normally see and we lean on one another. Our condolences go out to his family. We are grieving right along with them.”
Propst was given a fireman’s funeral, riding on a Parsons Fire Truck to his final resting area at the Moore Family Cemetery in Moore. After the Rev. Jim Sherman gave the final rights, the Parsons Fire Department offered a Final Call for Fireman James Norman “Jim” Propst.