01-31-1945 - 08-31-22 James Wiles Best, 77, of Cherokee Village, Ark., passed away Aug. 31, 2022, after a courageous year-long battle with cancer. Jim was born on Jan. 31, 1945, in St. Louis, Mo., to John William (JW) and Hazle (Higginbotham) Best, who ran the Higginbotham Funeral Home in Hardy. Jim attended Hardy High and was active in Boy Scouts, several clubs and sports teams, graduating in 1963 as an Eagle Scout and class valedictorian. He initially attended the University of Arkansas but completed his undergraduate schooling at Arkansas State. He enjoyed a very successful 33-year career in sales and management at RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, making scores of good friends throughout the Southeast US. Jim retired to Vonore, Tennessee, where he enjoyed golfing, boating with friends and taking the grandkids waterskiing, wake boarding and fishing. He was an avid motorcycle rider and loved telling stories about rides he’d taken along the Cherohala Skyway, his cross-country trip on Route 66 with his best buddy, and international trips to Italy, Spain and Canada. He was especially proud of his 10- years of experience teaching motorcycle safety courses, helping to develop good safety practices in novice riders. He enjoyed volunteering in the community throughout his life, and most recently he served as a commissioner of the Cherokee Village SID from 2020-2022. He and his wife, Patsy Church, were among the founding members of the Hardy Historical Association, and they were instrumental in locating, cataloguing and displaying many of the historical items currently located in the organization’s museum.
