James was born on November 15, 1942 in Columbus, Georgia to the late John Rufus and Florence Ellis Strickland. After high school, James served his country by enlisting in the Air Force and became a veteran. He married the love of his life, Peggy Anne Nobles, and they built a beautiful family and marriage of 63 years and 11 months.
He was the owner of Strickland Electric for over 50 years and became an ordained minister on May 7, 2008. He was a follower of Jesus Christ, and became a pastor for Eastside Assembly of God and was a faithful Christian for 60 years. He was often referred to as "a man after God's own heart".
James was a man who loved the simple things in life. He enjoyed reading and spending time with his grandchildren—his family says that he would always welcome their new babies with great love. He found joy in counting how many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren he had as the number grew rapidly over the years. The number totaled to 48 as his legacy will live on forever.
As a fishing enthusiast, he spent many days on the water with his friends and family creating memories. Whether he came home with stories of catching many fish or losing his belongings to the fish, James always had a story to tell. He dropped a fishing pole in the lake, a cell phone (or two or three); he even dropped his pickup truck once, and a grandchild or two (but on purpose, of course).
One thing that he loved to do was tease his wife and family. He took advantage of clever pranks when the opportunities presented themselves. He would often take his children and grandchildren out on the lake where he said gators were, would get stuck or pretend to get stuck, and would tell them that they would have to get out and push the boat out of the shallow waters. This was followed by a lot of laughter and snickering as he particularly enjoyed his pranks.
James is preceded in death by his parents, John Rufus and Florence Strickland; as well as his son-in-law, Richard T. Bunch.
James is survived by a multitude of loving family members: his children, Teresa Chase (Richard), Darlene Bunch, Jimmy Strickland (Belinda), Don Strickland (Laura), and Renita Dukes (Rodney); his grandchildren, Tiffany, Michael, Hunter, Wesley, Shane, Alaney, Alan, Brittany, Brandon, Desiree, Dakota, Peytanne, and Brett, his great-grandchildren, Caleb, Colby, Cameron, Nash, Emma Grace, Crew, Scarlett, Rhett, Wren, Caroline, Savanah, Seirra, Ryan, Phoenix, Scarlett, Bella, Addie, Leland, Hunter, Lesley, Timothy, Thomas, Cooper, Olivia, Ashlan, Athens, William IV, Collier, Kayli, James Parker, Piper Louise, Jacob Carter, and Rowan; his great-great-grandchild, Mason; and his sisters, Diane Strickland and Faye Speer.
A Visitation for Family and Friends of James will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, St.Elmo, 4071 Macon Rd, Columbus, Georgia 31907. A Chapel Service will occur on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Fisher Chapel, 4071 Macon Rd, Columbus, Georgia 31907, with Brother Ray and Brother Sauls officiating.
James will be laid to rest on Monday, March 24, 2025 in Parkhill Cemetery, 4161 Macon Rd, Columbus, GA 31907.
