Jimmy fought a long and courageous battle with COPD, and through it all, the love of his life, and wife of 42 years, Sandy, was by his side. The two shared an amazing love story that cannot be broken even by death. In June of 2018, Jimmy was admitted to the hospital, and was never able to return home due to complications from the COPD. He spent time in several hospitals, rehab facilities, and nursing homes, the furthest being in Arkoma, OK, near Ft. Smith. Although on a ventilator, he was motivated to get home to his "sweetie", Sandy, and their kitty cat, Ugly. Anyone could see that Jimmy's face lit up when Sandy walked into the room, and her main motivation was to make sure he knew he was loved.
In 1956, Jimmy joined the Marines, serving as a member of a large unit called the "Big Red One" company. He was also proud to serve a tour of duty in Japan in 1957 aboard the USS Gaffey. After the military, Jimmy worked construction with his grandpa and uncles for awhile, then eventually became a local delivery driver for various companies in the OKC area. Jimmy loved to paint, enjoyed woodworking and restoring old furniture, and he loved their pets. One of Jimmy and Sandy's favorite past times was going for a long drive on the weekends, where Jimmy would always stop to assist Sandy in finding the perfect rock to bring back to her rock garden. They also enjoyed their "romantic evenings", where they'd listen to music, eat a nice meal, and talk.
In 1995, Jimmy's addiction to alcohol took him to the brink of death several times. After seeking treatment at Valley Hope in Cushing, he met Bill G, who would teach him the 12 steps to sobriety, where he also learned "sooner or later we must give up the hope of having a better past." While Jimmy was going through AA, Sandy was busy learning about Al Anon. They made lots of friends which helped them through some of the rough spots that followed. These friends, along with the strong love Jimmy an Sandy had for each other, allowed Jimmy to remain sober. After that first year of sobriety he was able to return to Valley Hope to receive his 1 year medallion.
Preceding Jimmy in death were his Dad, Joseph, and Mom, Alice; his brother Kenny, and his son Ronny. He is survived by his loving wife, Sandy; a son, Donny; three daughters, Tammy, Sandra, and Tina; and 11 grandchildren; Jimmy's sister and brother in law, Susie and Ron Dewell, and uncle in law, Raymond Rigsby. Because Jimmy and Raymond were close in age, they were more like brothers.
The family would like to thank some special friends Sandy made throughout the years working in the mortgage business. Peggy Luster, Shannon Kurtz, Carolyn Sanders and David Drake. These friends took turns feeding the cat, collecting the mail, and driving Sandy to see Jimmy, throughout the week, and on weekends, because Sandy didn't feel confident enough to drive on the highway... Jimmy was always the driver, and she was the co-pilot. Sandy would like to extend a special thank you to Susie and Ron, her sister in law and brother in law, for opening their home to her when she needed to be in Tulsa, for driving to the halfway point on the turnpike to meet the person dropping off or picking up Sandy, and for their continued love and support during this long journey.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the local no-kill animal center, Central Oklahoma Humane Society, online at www.okhumane.org, or by phone at 405-286-1229.
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