After James A. “Jim” Rader passed away in May 2022, his siblings, Susan White, Jessie Spero, and Fred Rader chose to honor his memory through the creation of two endowment funds with the Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation.

Son of the late Raymond and Carolyn Sims Rader, Jim was a life-long resident of Wirt County who was a 1974 Wirt County High School graduate and a graduate of West Virginia Institute of Technology. He was a math teacher at Wirt County High School, an avid supporter of Wirt County Schools and Tiger sports teams, and served on the Wirt County Board of Education. Devoted to local history and genealogy, particularly maintaining the Sims family history, Jim was also a faithful member of the Elizabeth Baptist Church.

The new Elizabeth Baptist Church Endowment Fund will provide permanent annual unrestricted support to the Church. The Two Runs Baptist Church Cemetery Maintenance Fund will provide a perpetual fund for cemetery maintenance and upkeep.

Although the family initiated these endowment funds to honor Jim, they hope that others who wish to support either of these causes will consider donating.

“My family and I started these funds to honor our brother and to encourage other concerned citizens to include a donation to these funds through their estate plans,” said Fred Rader. “By doing so, they are ensuring that the Elizabeth Baptist Church and Two Runs Baptist Church Cemetery are taken care of long after we’ve passed away.”

The Little Kanawha Area Community Foundation is a regional affiliate of the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation (PACF). Individuals who would like to make a tax-deductible donation to either of these two funds are encouraged to send a check made payable to the PACF with the fund name on the memo line to: PACF, PO Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102. Donations may also be made online by visiting www.pacfwv.com/donate. Individuals wishing to learn more about these funds can call the Foundation at 304.428.4438.