James John Bax, 86, of Jefferson City, passed away Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at Heisinger Bluffs. He was born October 2, 1931, in St. Anthony, Missouri, the son of the late Al and Leona (Schepers) Bax. James served with the Marine Corps during the Korean Conflict and participated in the atomic bomb testing at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. He was united in marriage on June 2, 1954 in St. Anthony, Missouri to Ruth Catherine Macke, who preceded him in death on September 20, 2016. Retiring in 1991, he worked twenty-four years for the Missouri State Highway Department in the maintenance department. In earlier years, James worked as a farmer, carpenter, and made ice cream for Central Dairy. James was a member of the Cathedral of St. Joseph where he served as a communion minister, usher, banquet volunteer and a charter member of Perpetual Adoration since 1986. He was also a proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #35 and a board member of the State Highway Credit Union. A great cook and baker, James took pride in caring for his wife of sixty-two years. Family and faith were at the center of his life. He volunteered as a Eucharistic minister for Oak Tree Villas and Meals on Wheels. James had a good sense of humor and was a handyman for the neighborhood as well as his family. It was not uncommon for his children to find interesting wooden pieces he had made on their lawn on the morning of their birthdays. Survivors include five daughters, Patricia (Dale) Siebeneck, Jefferson City; Rita (Koelle) Barbour, St. Joseph; Mary Kay (Curtis) Young, Blackwater; Karen (James) Hughes, Lake Ozark; and Ann (Keith) Bertels, Jefferson City; two sons, Alan (Pamela) Bax, Wardsville; and Andrew Bax, Columbia; eleven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; one brother, David (Delores) Bax, Jefferson City; one sister, Dorothy Franken, Westphalia; a sister-in-law, B.B. Bax, St. Louis; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two brothers and a sister-in-law, Hilary and Eileen Bax, and Dennis Bax; and a brother-in-law, Ben Franken. Visitation will be 4-7 p.m. Thursday, October 19, 2017, at Dulle-Trimble Funeral Home with a prayer service at 3:30. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday, October 20, 2017, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph with the Rev. Msgr. Robert A. Kurwicki officiating. Entombment will be in Resurrection Mausoleum. Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association, 915 Country Ridge Dr., Jefferson City, MO 65109; Alzheimers Association, Mid-Mo Chapter, 2400 Bluff Creek Dr., Columbia, Missouri 65201 or a Charity of the Donors Choice. Dulle-Trimble Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements. Those wishing to email tributes or condolences to the family may do so at the www.dulletrimble.com website.