Vicki Jo Hudson was born on May 20,1956 in Trona, California. She passed away peacefully on July 30,2022 in Ridgecrest, California. She is survived by her son Joseph T. Bing. Vicki Jo was Trona High School’s homecoming queen in 1974.
The Reverend James John Pinnell, 63, (West Tennessee Presbytery), pastor of the Gleason Cumberland Presbyterian Church, died on May 25, 2020, after a battle with cancer. He was born January 4, 1957, to the Reverend Samuel Johnnie Pinnell and Dorothy Ann “Dottie” Brown Pinnell, a family with deep roots in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Jim’s uncle was the Reverend LaRoyce Brown and two of Jim’s first cousins are also Cumberland Presbyterian ministers.
While in the United Sates Marine Corps, and while the family were members of Saint Mark’s Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City, Sam was called to ministry and received as a candidate by Northeast Oklahoma Presbytery. However, military life, including a posting to Japan, caused the family to move frequently during Jim’s childhood.
Jim’s father, Sam, served a number of Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and California and moved often during Jim’s youth which is common for clergy families. After returning from Japan, the Pinnells joined the Hector Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Arkansas and Sam came under the care of Ewing Presbytery shortly before it merged with Little Rock-Burrow Presbytery to form Ewing-Burrow Presbytery. Ewing-Burrow Presbytery ordained his father in 1968 when Jim was eleven.
After Sam was called to the pastorate of the Trona, California, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, then in Pacific Presbytery, Jim attended Trona High School and graduated in 1974. He worked for the Muskogee and Wagoner, Oklahoma, police departments and was active for several years as youth counselor for the Liberty Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Muskogee.
Jim came under the care of Northeast Oklahoma Presbytery on April 29, 1979. He attended Northeast Oklahoma University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, before transferring to Bethel College, McKenzie, Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1984. While at Bethel College he preached at Mt. Zion Cumberland Presbyterian Church near Gleason, Tennessee. During his senior year, Jim was a residence hall director. After his graduation, Northeast Oklahoma Presbytery licensed Jim on December 30, 1984. Jim’s father was installed as pastor of the Trona, California, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, on June 15, 1986. At the same meeting, Pacific Presbytery received Jim under their care. In 1989, when Pacific Presbytery became part of Presbytery del Cristo, Jim was a licentiate under the new presbytery.
Tragically, Jim’s parents died within a few days of each other. His mother, Dorothy, died on March 29, 1994, and his father Sam died on April 4, 1994. The Trona Cumberland Presbyterian Church, of which Sam was still pastor at the time of his death, held a double funeral. At the time, Jim, as a licentiate of Pacific Presbytery, was serving Trona as associate pastor under his father.
Jim attended Memphis Theological Seminary for a year nd then completed his ministerial education through the Program of Alternate Studies. Through the rest of his ministry, Jim was an enthusiastic supporter of the program. Presbytery del Cristo ordained Jim Pinnell on August 14, 1998. He then served briefly as pastor of the Trona Cumberland Presbyterian Church before accepting a call to the Gleason Cumberland Presbyterian Church in West Tennessee Presbytery.
Obviously beloved by his Gleason church family, “Brother Jim” had been pastor since 2000, giving generously of his time and talents. His wife, Carol Ann Higgs Pinnell, survives him.
Robert Christopher, “Chris,” Housden Sr., passed away on Friday, November 29, 2019, at home, surrounded by his beloved family in Fremont, California. He was 63 years old.
A Memorial Service will be held on December 7, 2019, at 10:30 a.m. at Berge Pappas Smith Chapel of the Angels in Fremont, and a Burial Service will be held on December 14, 2019, in Lake Tahoe. Time for the Burial Service is pending.
Chris is survived by his wife of 31 years, Gayle Jean Housden, his two children, Robert Christopher Housden Jr. and Rachel Victoria Housden; his siblings, Catherine, Michael, and Beth; and numerous beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Pat Housden, and his brother Scott Housden.
Chris’s family and friends loved his wry wit and his mischievous nature. Though seemingly quiet to the outside world, those who knew him were delighted by his sense of humor and forthright manner. You knew where you stood with Chris, and to be loved and accepted by him was to be a part of a precious inner circle where the wisecracks were many and the laughter was frequent.
His was a life well-lived, and he poured himself into the love and care of his family, despite the many challenges of illness. He loved spending time in Lake Tahoe and with his entire extended family every year at Christmas time. In his passing, those who loved him will remember fondly a man of character and integrity, whose priorities were solid, and whose passions were centered in the circle of family. The lives he touched were profoundly impacted, and his passing will leave behind a strong legacy of faith and love.
Donations, in lieu of flowers, may be sent to the American Cancer Society or Furry Friends Rescue.
Marian Walsh wrote to share news of the loss of her son, Jeff, on Feb 11, 2011. Marian, we are all sorry for your loss.
Max Rana, class of 1974 passed away on August 23, 2012 while hiking near Idyllwild. He had a massive heart attack.
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