James Arthur Ideker was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in September of 1937 to Arthur and Lena (Weaver). He was the oldest of three boys. Jim married Von Deen Copeland in 1959. They had three daughters; Cynthia Dawne, Teresa Anne and Sandra Claire. Jim worked in the space industry in Coco Beach, Florida and Houston, Texas. He and Von Deen divorced in 1976. He married twice more before passing away from heart disease in May 1983. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered over the White River.