Obituary of Robert James McLouth

Funeral services for Robert James McLouth 34, of Arp, will be held 1pm Thursday, January 11, 2018 at Friendly Baptist Church, 1903 E. Front, Tyler, 75702 with the Reverend Dr. Scotty Short officiating with private family interment to follow, under the direction of Cottle Funeral Home, Troup.

James entered the gates of Heaven on January 5, 2018. He was born January 4, 1984, in Tyler to Bruce McLouth and Vicki Frizzell McLouth. He graduated from Brownsboro High School in 2002.

As a child, James loved boots, no shirts, and cowboy hats. As an adult he loved family, friends, fast cars, and motorcycles. From an early age it was clear that James never met a stranger he couldn’t engage with. He genuinely loved people and this would later fuel his success as a salesman. He was a hard worker no matter the task, he was up for the challenge.

At Sonic, he stuck the big red truck to the drive-in pole and had to call his dad to come to his rescue. At ETOX, he and his friend Miller would load trucks, kicking and spinning gas bottles until they wore holes into the toes of their boots. O’Reilly's was his next stop. Here he embraced the thrill of a good competition and a career in sales was launched. At Walter Mortgage, he joined his dad’s buddy Jeff and collected all of East Texas delinquent accounts for over a year. He and Jeff constantly beat each other up over those numbers.

Jack O’ Diamonds is where he truly soared for the last twelve years. As a highly competitive and loyal team member, he earned Council of Sales of Leadership - Gold Master Membership for the past five years. In addition, James also received Top Customer Satisfaction Performance, in Zone 3 for 2014 and 2017. That combination of recognition is something few salesmen achieve. Sometimes he would grumble to his dad, wishing he could have gotten more credit in closing a particular deal, but once the grumble was spoken, in the true spirit of the JOD family, he quickly focused on what was a win for his team. This attitude is what made him so willing and able to mentor others so that his JOD team could win.

James deeply believed in the bonds of family and friends. He believed he could bring a positive influence to their lives and he in turn would draw strength from their love. James never missed a chance to work on cars with his dad and Deryl. They would have Deryl’s Chili Mac for lunch. He bonded with his Grandpa Mac over a love for shooting Black powder. His passion for grilling and feeding friends came from his mother and PaPa.

The joy of his life was born November 27, 2005, his baby girl McNoNo. He met the love of his life in March of 2008, Baby Girl Rhonda. They married March 26, 2016 and he became Daddy James to his two bonus girls, Kandi-Kane and Pookie. Weekends would find him stomping and coaching the Cowboys, playing dominos at the Quarters, or board games with his girls.

To know James was to love him. His smile would melt your heart and his witty personality would light up the room.  His family wants you to know that from the beginning, James was known as Angel Baby and he embraced this nickname his entire life. He was a friend to many and most of all, as a husband, father, and son, he was deeply loved.

He is preceded in death by his grandmother, Marilyn Jane McLouth.

Survivors include his wife, Rhonda Cloke McLouth of Arp; parents, Bruce McLouth of Chapel Hill and Vicki Frizzell of Chandler; daughters, Ryleigh McLouth of Arp; Kandis Krisle and Kayla Krisle of Tyler; paternal grandfather, Robert Bruce McLouth and wife Margaret of Tyler; maternal grandparents, Sue Bonner of Winona, James Davis of Menard; Mother-in-law and husband Deborah Brasher and Bill of Arp; Father-in-law, Philip Cloke of Arp; sister and brother-in-law, Rae Jean and Hank Griffin of Arp, Dena and Dalton Smith of Arp; and numerous other relatives and friends.

Visitation will be at Cottle Funeral Home in Troup 6pm-9pm on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to the James McLouth Foundation at etcf.org so that we can continue to share his generous life with the the community he grew up in.

    Online registration and condolences are available at www.cottlefuneralhome.com