James Lawrence “Jim” Houser, 92, of Monett, Mo., passed away Monday, January 19, 2026, at his home.

He was born on October 19, 1933, in Philadelphia, Penn., born to Myra and Delbert Henry Houser. Preceding him in death were his parents and first wife, Molly Alice Rogers.

Survivors include his wife, Carol; five children, Stacy (Tami) Houser, Mona (Dave) Entwistle, Bryan Houser, Scott (Ana) Houser, and Bill (Lisa) Houser; stepchildren, Dan (Angela)

Brubeck, Clint (Ruth) Brubeck, Jessica Eisenhauer, Linda Brubeck, Maria Brubeck, and Mario Brubeck; three brothers, Charles, Don, and Paul Houser; 18 grandchildren, and 23 great grandchildren.

He attended Mesquite High School, then Baylor University. More schooling followed Baylor at Golden Gate Seminary in Calif., where Jim received a master’s in counseling. Followed by  Golden Gate Seminary at the University of Utah on a National Science Foundation grant, and he also attained a Master of Education from Texas Wesleyan University in 1959. In 1965, he and Molly with four of their five children traveled to and served in many towns in Kenya and Tanzania, including Kisumu, Kenya where their last child was born. After, Jim worked for Baylor University to teach Swahili, which he did for about 18 years. 

In July of 2025 he moved to Missouri where he reconnected and married Carol. Molly was a dear friend to Carol, as was Jim to Roger. Jim was especially passionate about two things: Africa and preaching.

Private services will be held at a later date. Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.