James E. Thielke, 78, passed away in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 with his family and pastor by his side. Jim was born in Minnesota to Melvin and Florence Thielke.
After Jim graduated from high school, he moved to Enid, Oklahoma where he worked for Champlin Petroleum. There he met Lynne Easterly and they were married in 1959. The couple soon moved to Moore, Oklahoma and Jim began his studies at the University of Oklahoma. He graduated in 1965 with a degree from the OU School of Accounting and began what would become an extremely impressive career. He passed the CPA exam in 1967 and was awarded the “Gold Medal Award” for achieving the highest exam score in the state of Oklahoma. Jim went to work for Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company/KPMG. He became a partner in 1972 and then partner-in-charge of the tax practice for KPMG’s Oklahoma City office. In addition to his work at the firm, he held leadership roles in many accounting organizations. He served as president for the Oklahoma Society of CPAs and was a member of its Hall of Fame. He also served on the advisory board for the University of Oklahoma Steed School of Accounting. He was involved in many civic activities including the All Sports Association of Oklahoma City.
Jim was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather who enjoyed spending time with his family. He and Lynne spent many happy retirement years traveling the country in their motor coach seeing new sights and meeting new people. Road trips were second though to the enjoyment found watching his three granddaughters play soccer, basketball or any other sport. He truly loved being part of their lives and could often be found playing cards or dominoes with them. Jim spent many second Saturdays in October with his twins, Christi and David, cheering for the Sooners to beat Texas at the Cotton Bowl. He was a loyal friend to many and all of his friends and family benefitted greatly from his positive attitude and outlook on life. Jim had a great faith in Jesus Christ and was very involved in his church communities. He was a charter member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Moore, Oklahoma. He also attended and was very active at Gethsemane Lutheran Church and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
Jim is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lynne; daughter Christi Thielke Graham and husband Eric; son David Thielke and wife Jennifer; grandchildren Mia, Grace and Ava Thielke; his siblings and their spouses Phyllis Harste (Loren), Melvin Thielke (Marilyn) and Karen Van Aalsburg (Dick). Jim was preceded in death by his parents and his brother and sister-in-law, Lloyd and Marion Thielke.
A memorial service celebrating the life of Jim Thielke will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 16th at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 308 NW 164th Street, Edmond, OK. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oklahoma Society of CPAs Education Fund, to the University of Oklahoma Price College of Business, Steed School of Accounting or to Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Anderson-Burris Funeral Service.
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