James Rufus Coker

James Rufus Coker was born November 9, 1933 in Harrisburg, Illinois. He passed away Christmas morning 2024 at home in Arlington, Texas, joining his beloved wife Barbara Wray (Duncan) Coker, who passed November 19, 2009. The two were married on June 12, 1952, on a Thursday night so Jim could race stock cars Friday. He was Jim or Jimmy or Daddy or Pop. She was Barb or Barbie Doll or Mama and became Mom to everyone. Both were beloved.

Jim and Barb lived throughout Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee and then finally made Texas home in 1967. They had three children: Debbie, Cathy and Kelly; seven grandchildren: Nathan, LeeAnn, Natalie, Leslie, Kyle, Wade and Lance; ten great grandchildren: Grayson, Hayes, Crosby, Everly, Jonas, Bailey, Curtis, Zeke, Carson and Corbin. And many nieces and nephews who loved Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Barb.

Jim was a hard worker, and throughout his life “did about every job, never got fired from a job, and got along with everybody.” He learned carpentry from his father, Houston King Coker, and helped his mother, Kathleen (Littlefield) Coker, shuck corn from her garden alongside his sisters Bert, Robbie and Nellie. His younger brother Larry would “help” milk the cows, which meant getting a squirt in the mouth. Jim had a paper route. Then worked after school at a car service station. He got a job with the Atomic Energy Commission building the nuclear plant in Paducah. He worked for Union Carbide and Alabama Tool & Engineering where he met Wernher Von Braun. He made parts for John Deere machines and plastic chips when plastic was new. He worked at LTV in Texas. He got his commercial pilot license, and Jim and Larry started Coker Aviation: a Cessna dealership, air freight company and flight school—at the time, the largest in the state. Jim met his close friend Roy Owings flying, as well as other notable figures and characters. Jim owned and ran a machine shop with Larry and eventually his son, Kelly.

When he was young, Jim raced stock cars and go carts with Barb keeping time on a stopwatch. Throughout his life he loved playing the guitar and singing, and joined “jams” with friends in different states. He liked to fish and hunt and made trips with friends to Colorado to do both. He and Barb took their RV trailer across the U.S., pulling it in every state except for Hawaii, and regrettably down Lombard street in San Francisco.

Jim was stubborn but kind, slow to anger and quick to apologize. He believed if someone is broken down on the side of the road, you pull over to help. If it’s Christmas, you have a fire in the fireplace, no matter if it’s sixty degrees outside. The radio is always on in the garage. And if he could, he’d sing you one of his favorite songs right now. Every song was his favorite, and it’s hard to know if that was a joke or just a wise way to live.

In lieu of flowers, he’d appreciate donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.