James David "Jim" Waters

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James David “Jim” Waters, 79, of W. Riverside Drive, Carlsbad, NM, passed away April 27, 2026, at Covenant Medical Center, Lubbock, Texas. Visitation will be 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM, Friday, May 8, 2026 at Denton-Wood Funeral Home. Funeral services are scheduled for 10:00 AM, Saturday, May 9, 2026 at First Methodist Church with Pastor Kelly McCuaig officiating. Interment will follow in Carlsbad Cemetery, Carlsbad, NM. Denton-Wood Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Jim was born August 26, 1946, in El Paso, Texas. He graduated from Bel Air High School in El Paso in 1964. Jim met his high school sweetheart, Judi Gorton, on a blind date. He married her on July 15, 1967 and adored her for the rest of his life. He graduated with an engineering degree from University of Texas - El Paso and upon graduation, Jim and Judi moved to Silver City, NM. Jim worked for Kennecott Copper for five years. After a short stent in the copper industry in Utah, he moved to Carlsbad in 1976 to work at PCA. In the following decades, Jim worked at the potash mines and then WIPP before retiring in 2025. During his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, and working on construction projects. Jim loved watching his sons and grandsons play high school football and most of all spending time with all his grandchildren. He enjoyed the many years helping with Mission Carlsbad, refurbishing and repairing homes for people in need. Jim was preceded in death by his mother, Jonnie Wynn; his father, Hayden Waters and wife, Aida; his stepfather, Thomas Wynn, and sister, Jo Ann Elston.

Survivors are his wife, Judi Waters; sons: John Waters and wife, Tracy, Dr. James R. Waters and wife, Kim; grandchildren: Savannah Hixon and husband, Clint, James A. Waters, Hope Waters, Cole Waters and wife, Carly, Katharine Waters, Luke Waters, Ava Waters, and Jack Waters; great-grandchildren: Thomas Glenn Hixon and Hayden James Waters; sister, Rose Mary McDonald and her husband, Earl; half-sister, Madeline Hunt and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers will be Clint Hixon, James A. Waters, Cole Waters, Luke Waters, Jack Waters, Dylan Hunt, and Kenny Padilla.

Should friends desire to make memorial contributions, they may be made to Class Act, P.O. Box 2383, Carlsbad, NM 88221.

Condolences may be expressed at dentonwood.com