James Doyle Caldwell

James Doyle Caldwell, of Warrenton, Virginia, died peacefully at home surrounded by family, on August 8, 2025. Born in Damascus, Arkansas, on August 29, 1940, to Linnie Irene Ward and Elzie Franklin Caldwell, James grew up in Bigelow, Arkansas, and graduated from Bigelow High School in 1958. In high school, he was both a talented basketball player and a skilled guitarist in a band called “The Three Js” — playing at the very “birth of rock ‘n roll.” After scoring exceptionally high on the military aptitude tests, James entered the U.S. Army, where he served in counterintelligence. He was a decorated Vietnam War veteran. Following his military service, he continued his education, earning his Bachelor’s Degree at Park College and a Master’s Degree at American University. He served for nearly 30 years with the Arlington County Police Department, with most of that time as a liaison for the Emergency Communications Center (911). There he was instrumental in modernizing the county’s emergency response systems, which attracted researchers from across the country and abroad. He retired as a Lieutenant in 2000 to his cattle farm in Fauquier County, Virginia. A true jack-of-all-trades, he could fix anything and faced no challenge he could not master. He had no equal as a soldier, policeman, husband, father, and grandfather — living a life marked by character, courage, wisdom, and integrity. His wife of 59 years, nurse Kathleen Faith Hellen Caldwell, predeceased him in 2023 and is buried in the family plot in Bigelow, Arkansas, where James will also be laid to rest, to spend eternity by her side. James is survived by his five children: James Jr., Muriel, Christopher, Michael and Melissa, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings John, Richard, and Anita. He was preceded in death by his parents, his beloved wife Kathleen, and his oldest brother, Don Paul. Graveside service for James Caldwell will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, August 22, 2025 at Volman Cemetery in Bigelow, Arkansas with his nephew, Bro. Douglas Caldwell officiating. Arrangements are by Harris Funeral Home of Morrilton.

James Doyle Caldwell

August 29, 1940 - August 8, 2025