James Codlin

Jim graduated from Lake Forest High School in Lake Forest, Illinois, then went on to Iowa State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Spanish in 1968. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Minnesota in 1970.

Jim joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps while in college, continued through graduate school, and upon graduation entered active duty. He served as a navigator in the Air Force in the Vietnam War and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was honorably discharged in 1975, having attained the rank of Captain.

Jim met Terri (Westfall) Codlin at Iowa State and they married on June 15, 1968, in Edina, Minnesota. In the early years of their marriage, they lived in Minneapolis, MN; Sacramento, CA (where their son, Craig, was born in 1971); Taipei, Taiwan; Spokane, WA; Springfield, IL (where their daughter, Meredith, was born in 1975); and Lake Zurich, IL, before settling in LaGrange, GA, their home for more than 40 years.

Jim started his civilian career at Fiat Allis in Illinois, traveling to distributors throughout Latin America. In 1981, he was recruited by Trackmobile, Inc., where he worked until his retirement in 2011. His career in international sales and marketing took him to 70 countries on six continents, and in his lifetime he visited all 50 U.S. states. In addition to his native English, he spoke Spanish fluently and Portuguese and Italian conversationally, with a basic knowledge of German and Mandarin.

In LaGrange, Jim was an active member of the community for decades. He served as a youth soccer coach; built sets for the LaGrange Ballet (now the Lafayette Ballet Company), including a legendary engineering feat of flying a sleigh onstage in the finale of The Nutcracker; contributed many hours of labor to Hillside Montessori; and participated in a local writers’ group.

Jim was known for his unflappable nature, boundless patience, great sense of humor, and generosity of spirit. He had an understated manner but was a brilliant storyteller and gave legendary toasts at special occasions including his father’s 100th birthday celebration. He had vast intellectual curiosity about subjects ranging from space exploration to quantum physics to history to architecture. For several years, he was a recreational pilot, taking his family on vacations in a small aircraft he co-owned with friends at the LaGrange Airport. A gifted and diligent writer, he completed several novels, one of which, A Vial Upon the Sun, is available on Amazon.

Jim’s primary focus throughout his life was his family. He was a devoted husband to Terri; a beloved and loving father to Craig and Meredith and father-in-law to Jana Drajpuch and Joseph Strauss; a doting and adored granddad to Hunter and Avery Codlin and Felicity Strauss; and a cherished brother to Dennis Codlin (Jaquelin Pearson), Katie Codlin Wilson, and the late Kenneth Codlin (Karen). Jim is also survived by many nieces and nephews, a dear foreign exchange student (Heidi Colding Hansen of Copenhagen, Denmark), numerous friends from every part of his life, former coworkers and business contacts around the world, and countless others he touched with his kindness, self-effacing humor, and quiet leadership.

Memorial services, officiated by Rev. James Goodlet, will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 2:00 at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary followed by a reception in their event room. A private interment of ashes will be in Whispering Hills in LaGrange.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to Hillside Montessori of LaGrange, 1001 Hills and Dales Farm Road, LaGrange, GA 30240.

Those wishing to share a condolence or remembrance with the family may do so by visiting www.shlagrange.com.

All arrangements are made by Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, 1010 Mooty Bridge Road, LaGrange, GA 30240 (706) 884-8636.