James “Jim”  D. Carothers passed away on Thursday, April 30, 2026. He is survived by his three children, his grandson, his brother and sister and numerous nieces and nephews. 

Superintendent Brad Hatch has known Carothers for many years. 

“I have always known Jim to have a smile on his face, exuding kindness and supporting young people,” Hatch said. “He was always one of the most popular bus drivers and student aides.  I remember the same Jim when he helped run the local King’s Restaurant, putting a smile on customer’s faces for years. Jim is a true community treasure that will be missed dearly.” 

Jennifer Cala remembers when she met Carothers on the first day of autistic support ESY (Extended School Year) where he worked as an SEA (Special Education Aid) last summer. She believed Carothers to be “an asset” to the room during that summer. 

“He (Carothers) walked in on the first day and had no idea what he was doing,” Cala said. “But that did not stop him from diving right in. He sat down next to one of the students who currently didn’t have a teacher with them and just started to make a connection. He talked to her, offered her different things that she seemed to like, and did some of her work with her, taking her lead the whole time. In the Autistic Support world, we call that pairing, and there are trainings to teach people how to do it. To him, it just came naturally. We lost a good one, and he will definitely be missed.” 

Physical education teacher Thomas Palfey had Carothers as an aide in his third period class. 

“He was a funny guy,” Palfey said. “He brought light to every classroom that I saw. He was a great addition to our school. He made the school a better place everyday. [He] was just a tremendous guy, and we’re going to miss him.” 

Senior Theo Kessling is a community service worker who remembers meeting with Carothers every morning. 

“It started with us seeing each other constantly in the halls,” Kessling said. “We’d laugh each time and accuse the other of following one another. He found out I worked the help desk and would always come and sit with me every morning. Every day, without fail, he’d be there and we’d talk. Sitting at the desk alone always got so boring – but he was there to keep me company every day. We’d talk to each other about everything: life, our day, work – it was really nice. We became good friends and I looked forward to coming to school every day because I knew I’d get to talk to him.” 

Anita Conte-Schultz works in the attendance office. She remembers Carothers’ wife, Stacey McGeary, who was her son – Noah Schultz’s – preschool teacher. When Carothers began working at the high school, she introduced herself and informed him of the connection to his late wife. 

“He immediately remembered Noah’s name and told me how his wife used to tell him stories about Noah when she came home at the end of the day,” Conte-Schultz said. “He was thankful that I reached out to him and was glad that now he had the opportunity to see how Noah had grown and how it was his turn to spend time with him at school.” 

Conte-Schultz’s last memory of Carothers was when he came into the office prior to spring break and how excited he was to spend Easter with his newborn grandson and family. 

Aidan Palilla is a first year special education teacher at the high school. He remembers Mr. Carothers from his time in T-Ball, where Carothers was his coach and he “helped me fall in love with sports,” as well as from seeing him at King’s restaurant where Carothers worked and his “warmth and kindness were always present.” 

“Mr. Carother’s was a truly extraordinary person who touched so many lives,” Palilla said. “His perspective on life and genuine care for each and every student is something that I will forever cherish. He will be extremely missed, but his impact and legacy will always live on.”

Freshman Lila Eamigh remembers him fondly. 

“He was so kind and would always say good morning to everyone,” Eamigh said. “[He] really tried to brighten people’s days.” 

Brad Scherden and Carothers bonded over a love of music. 

“He picked up pretty quickly that I’m a music person,” Scherden said. “When we saw each other, it was usually in pretty brief visits, (but) he liked to talk with me about music that he enjoyed, (and) that I enjoyed. He recommended music for me to listen to and liked hearing about what I was doing in the groups that I am involved with. (Carothers) was interested in the music department here at the school, even though he wasn’t involved. He was very excited one day when I shared with him a calendar of school concerts, and he was looking forward to attending those.”

Scherden met Carothers for the first time earlier this year. 

“(Carothers) must have had some sort of gift for connecting with people because from the first time I talked with him, it just felt very natural to chat,” Scherden said. “He took an interest in the people that he knew. He was a nice person to talk with and I enjoyed my time with him.” 

Principal Andrew Neely runs the high school and oversees all staff. 

“Mr. Carothers was extremely well liked by the students he came in contact with and the staff he came in contact with,” Neely said. “He was always a positive person. He liked to talk, and he liked to engage with other members of the faculty, but he was always positive. He was always appreciative that he was able to be here and do what he loved to do, which was help students.”