James Charles Koburger

James Charles “Jim” Koburger, 67, of Tallahassee, Florida passed away peacefully at home on July 3, 2024, surrounded by family after a multi-year battle with cancer. He was born on July 4, 1956 in Queens, New York to Robert David Koburger and Eugenia Francis Kreiter.

Jim’s childhood was spent in Hicksville, New York with his parents and four siblings. The family moved to Boca Raton, Florida in 1973. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 1980, earning his bachelor’s degree in Political Science. During his senior year he served as the Student Government President, and one of his proudest accomplishments was his involvement in establishing FAU’s first baseball team. He moved to Tallahassee the same year and started his 42-year career with Florida Farm Bureau Insurance in 1982 where he served as a Sales agent and then Agency Manager the last 8 ½ years. Jim took pride in helping the community through his work and developed friendships that lasted decades. He was regularly recognized for his outstanding results and professionalism throughout his career, with 18 National multi-line sales awards, 15 ”Agent Holiday” trip wins, and a district “Underwriters Award” from Florida Farm Bureau Insurance. From Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance he earned the “Million Dollar Ring” with 10 diamonds, several trips, was a 5-time “Agency Club” winner and a 3-time “Production Club” qualifier, to name a few.

Jim joined NAIFA in 1986 where he was very active in NAIFA-Tallahassee and became President in 1999. He also worked his way up through various positions at the statewide level to become President of NAIFA-Florida from 2013-2014. In addition, he was a graduate of NAIFA’s Leadership in Life Institute (LILI). He ended his career with the following credentials: LUTCF, CASL, CLU, ChFC.

He married Laurie Koburger in 1992 and they remained married for 32 years, until his passing. Jim and Laurie each had two children from a previous marriage, for a total of four kids. Laurie and Jim greatly enjoyed traveling together and making life-long memories, like eating black forest cake in The Black Forest in Germany and returning home with a cuckoo clock. One of their favorite places was the Great Smoky Mountains, where they honeymooned and continued to visit throughout their marriage.

Jim loved his family and brought laughter to everyone through his humorous family traditions. Just one example is “Pie in the Face” for willing birthday celebrants. He loved fixing and building bicycles as a kid and enjoyed helping his children and then grandchildren with their bikes. Jim was a huge Florida State Seminole fan. He enjoyed “watching” baseball and football on the radio. On weekends, he would wash his “Little Red” truck, before taking it for a spin around town – he was very proud of his truck and took great pride in taking care of it. He enjoyed taking early morning walks around the neighborhood and became known as the man who walked backwards uphill. Jim’s biggest love was his grandchildren. He cherished the visits with his grandson, who lives in Colorado. He enjoyed Sunday dinners with family and bringing over special treats for his local granddaughters to enjoy.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Eugenia Francis Kreiter, and father, Robert David Koburger. He is survived by his wife, Laurie Koburger; daughter, Jessica Koburger (Jorge “Jay”); son, Alex Koburger; step daughters, Melanie McLain and Sheila Jagla; sisters, Susan Arist (Jeff) and Carol Kish; brothers, David Koburger (Kathy Cathcart) and Ken Koburger (Kathleen); and grandchildren Mireía Guzman-Koburger, Eva Guzman-Koburger, Naia Guzman-Koburger, and Dominic Jagla.

His choice was to be cremated, which is being handled by Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, August 19th, in the Carriage House at the Goodwood Museum and Gardens from 2:30-5:00 p.m.

To honor his memory, donations may be made in his name to the American Cancer Society, the Tallahassee Senior Center Foundation, or Big Bend Hospice.