James Mason Hollingsworth

James Mason Hollingsworth, Major, U.S. Army (retired), Master of Health Administration, and Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic and Web Design, and member of Mensa, passed away unexpectedly at his home in North Richland Hills, Texas, on September 19, 2024. Born on June 12, 1955, in Dayton, Ohio, he lived a life marked by service, creativity, and love.

Jim was a devoted father to Beth, Billy, Linda, and Kristin Hollingsworth. He cherished his role as a grandfather to 14 grandchildren and a great-grandfather to 2 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his father, Randall Eugene Hollingsworth, and stepmother, Madonna Hollingsworth, as well as his sisters, Victoria Hollingsworth and Amy Chilton, and his beloved dog, Ladybug. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sydney Anne (Joanne) Wilson, and one angel grandchild, Aurora-Aryana Madonna Hollingsworth.

James was a proud veteran and Army green, through and through. Jim enlisted in the Army in 1978 from Beckley WV. He attended the quartermaster school at Fort Lee, VA (1978) and then assigned to Fort Sill, OK (1978) as Supply Specialist with the 100th S&S. In November of 1981 Jim was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Fort Benning, GA. He was branched as Field Artillery Officer and attended the Officer Basic Course in 1982 at Fort Sill, OK. Upon completion of OBC his first duty assignment was Fort Hood with 29th Field Artillery. Moving through Jim's career he commanded a Field Artillery Battery with 2nd Inf Division FA in South Korea in 1987 to 1988. After completing 14 years on active duty and achieving the rank of Captain, Jim left the Army and joined the IRR from 1992 to 2005 while pursuing a civilian career. While in the IRR Jim was promoted to a Field Grade officer to the rank of Major. In November 2005 He was recalled to active as an IRR officer for GWOT in support of OIF and trained as a Civil Affairs officer to deploy as a USACAPOC officer under USASOC at Fort Bragg NC. After civil affairs training, he became the USACAPOC 1st Training Brigade mobilization support officer to deploy civil affairs units to OIF and OEF in support of GWOT. After serving at Fort Bragg, NC from OCT 2005 to OCT 2008 he moved USACAPOC mob operations to Fort Dix NJ serving as the Mob support officer from NOV 2008 to NOV 2009 completing his active-duty time. Jim joined the reserves in NOV 2009 serving with the 490th civil Affairs battalion at Fort Worth Texas where he retired in July 2012 with over 20 years of service in the United States Army. His awards include Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4th award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd award), The Global War on Terrorism Medals in addition to many other medals. In addition, during his time as a Field Artillery officer he was awarded the Distinguished Ancient Order of Saint Barber. 

Jim leaves behind a profound impact on the chess community. A passionate chess player, Jim achieved Chess Expert status in 1988 while serving in Korea. Jim was selected for the All-Army Chess Championship seven times; mission requirements kept him out of two. He earned a place on the Army Chess Team in 1989. He co-founded the RRSO, an annual team match between Oklahoma and Texas chess enthusiasts. and was Chief Organizer of the Texas Armed Forces Open Chess Championships in 2017 and 2018, as well as the Texas Women’s Chess Championships in 2018 and 2019. Jim was instrumental in the success of the 62nd US Armed Forces Open Chess Championship in 2021, which became the third largest in history. In 2024, a month before his passing, he was honored with the Meritorious Service Award by the US Chess Open for his 45 years of dedicated service to Chess. He was a life member of both US Chess and TCA.

He will be remembered for his dedication to the game and his significant contributions to the chess community.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 8th, from 6 PM to 8 PM at Lucas Funeral Homes, located at 1321 Precinct Line Rd., Hurst, TX 76053. 

A funeral service will take place on Wednesday, October 9th, at 11 AM at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, 2000 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, TX 75211. The service will include full military honors, reflecting his dedicated service to our country.

Those that cannot attend the funeral may watch it live via this link:

https://galliganmedia.com/funerals/2024-10-09-remembering-james-mason-hollingsworth/

A wake will be held after the funeral at Pockets Restaurant & Sports Bar, 210 S Industrial Blvd, Euless, TX 76040. All are invited to attend and share their memories of our beloved Jim.

Jim will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.