James "Jim" Burton Plylar Stok

James "Jim' Burton Stok passed away on Saturday, May 13, 2017. Jim was born on December 5, 1937 at King's Daughter Hospital in Bay St. Louis, MS. Jim was the son of Clara Louise Suarez Plylar and Joseph Stok (Kankakee, Illinois). He was raised by his mother and stepfater, Thomas Christian Plylar Sr. Jim was one of eight children. He grew up with five sisters; Marion Parker, Patricia Dimmett, Sharyn Williams, Virginia Rhodes, Theresa Ascencio; and 2 brothers; Thomas Christian Plylar Jr., and Joseph "Joey" Plylar. His younger siblings called him "Bubba Jimmy". Later, as the family grew, he would affectionately become called "Uncle Bubba Jimmy" by his many nieces, nephews, and extended family. Jim began school at Gorenflo Elementary in 1943. Years later, in 1957, he graduated from Biloxi High School. Jim furthered his education by attending Perkinston Junior College and graduated in 1959. He received his bachelor of Arts Degree from Scarritt College in Nashville in 1961. One of Jim's interests was interior design and he was excited to study at the Ray Vogue Schoo of Design in Chicago, Illnois. Jim went on to serve his country in the U.S. Army for the next few years. He was a member of the 25th Infantry Division and stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. After completing his service, Jim returned to his passion and worked in the field of Visual Design Merchandising with various retail stores from 1965 until 2000. He completed his long career retiring from Dillard's department store in Phonenix, Arizona. Retirement allowed Jim to further pursue another of his loves, which was travel. He enjoyed learning about other people and cultures. During his lifetime he was fortunate to visit many exotic and beautiful locations including Greece, Italy, Turkey, France, Morocco, Mexico and the pyramids of Egypt. He is preceded in death by his companion of 39 years, Hank Knoll. Jim requested no flowers, please. Visitation will be held at the Howard Avenue Chapel of Bradford O’Keefe Funeral Home, Saturday, June 3, 2017 from 1:00 pm until 2:00 pm with a memorial service at 2:00 pm.