Jim Holifield, L387, loved to get behind the wheel of a bus he had converted himself. Then, starting from his home in California, he would drive as far north, or as far south, or as far east as possible. His travels took him to Alaska and the Yukon; to Mexico; to Newfoundland; and to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, at the tip of South America.
“He would drive as far as the road would go,” said his son Jamie Holifield.
“There weren’t too many roads he hadn’t been on,” added his son Steve Holifield. “It was more about the journey than the final destination. He just liked being on the road.”
James M. Holifield, who served as FMCA national vice president from 1972 to 1975, died May 17, 2020, in Sacramento, California, at age 95. He also served on FMCA’s Finance Committee from 1997 to 1998, and on the Magazine Panel for a number of years.
Jim fought in World War II as a member of the Army Air Corps. Then in 1950, while flying to his native Pennsylvania, he met a TWA flight attendant named Virginia — Ginny for short. They married within a year. Jim became a dentist, and he and Ginny started a family. “His family meant the world to him,” Steve said.
Jim’s dream, since childhood, was to build a house on wheels. The dream started coming into focus in the early 1950s when he first saw a converted Flxible bus. In 1961, after completing training as an orthodontist, Jim bought his first bus, a 1947 Flxible, for $1,500.
“He could fix anything,” his daughter, Sharon Lovell, said.
“When it came to converting buses, he did all the work himself,” Steve said. “He loved working with his hands.”
Jim and Ginny joined FMCA in 1965, two years after it was founded by a group of “house car” owners. The Holifields, who felt at home among others who had converted buses, were founding members of FMCA’s California chapter; Jim served as its president and national director. They were charter members of Western Bus Nuts, Converted Coach, Pipe Dreamers, and several other chapters. Because of their involvement in the association, the Holifields received FMCA’s Family of the Year Award in 1970.
Over the years, Jim and Ginny owned four Flxibles. In 1975 they bought a GMC 4106 bus that served as their coach for 22 years. But Jim did not care much for a Blue Bird Wanderlodge motorhome the couple purchased in the mid-1960s. It was nice enough, but “he was so used to building everything on his own and knowing where every nut, bolt, and wire was,” Jamie said.
Sharon and her brothers recounted a story her father loved to tell about his encounter with a tour bus that had broken down with engine problems in Canada’s desolate Yukon territory. After speaking with the driver, Jim worked on the motor and succeeded in getting the bus started. The passengers applauded.
“Are you a mechanic?” the bus driver asked.
“No, I’m an orthodontist,” Jim replied.
In 1993, the Holifields flew to Europe, rented a motorhome, and spent a month touring Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and France.
But FMCA international conventions and rallies always were a priority. Jim and Ginny brought along their children and, later, their grandchildren. “For 50 years, every trip was based around an FMCA rally,” Steve said.
“My mom always used to say, ‘As soon as he got home from a trip, he’d start planning his next trip,’” Jamie said.
Jim continued to attend FMCA events well into his 80s.
Survivors include his wife, Ginny; daughter, Sharon; sons Jim “Jamie” and Steve; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.