January 11, 1951 — June 9, 2026
James Kay Cooksey, better known as “Jim”, passed away on June 9, 2026, in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where he was loved by many friends, neighbors, and fellow golfers.
Jim was born on January 11, 1951 to Heston and Katherine Cooksey in Louisa, Kentucky.
He is survived by his wife, Carol; his daughter, Erin, and her husband, Kevin; his son, James Daniel, and his wife, Cynthia; his granddaughter Julie; his grandson, Alex; his sisters, Fern, and her husband, Carl; as well as Patsy; his sister-in-law, Phyllis; and also, his nieces and nephews; Katie, Mark, Vance, Chris, Cindy, Sherry, Nicky, Jason, and Jeffrey.
Preceding him in death were, in addition to his parents, his wife and the mother of his children, Deborah; his daughter, Kimberly; his sister, Fayetta, and her husband, Andy; his brother-in-law, Tom; his brother-in-law, Danny; and his brother, Heston Jr.
He often told of starting his working life pumping gas at Hubert Pack Station. He served as a Captain and Construction Engineer Commander with the U.S. Army Reserve for eight years. There he developed his love of building and maintenance. Jim did not believe in throwing away anything that could possibly be fixed.
Jim graduated from Morehead University, where he enjoyed ROTC and often told stories of having “the Phil Sims” in his unit.
Jim retired as Assistant Superintendent of Lawrence County Schools in 2002 after serving as a teacher, coach, building maintenance supervisor, and bus supervisor. He loved being the ‘Voice of the Bulldogs.”
He loved mowing his grass and keeping his little grey Honda truck clean.
His absolute favorite pastime was playing golf. He played four to five times weekly in four groups or leagues. He loved and was loved by his golfing friends, especially his team: Ace, Phil, Tom, and Oscar, along with far too many others to count. He won second place in his division at the 2011 World Amateur.
Jim played trivia most Thursday nights with his team: Frasher, Peggy, Ace, Barb, Dave, Trudy, and Carol. They weren’t very good, but they had an awesome time, and Jim was super competitive.
Prior to moving from Louisa, Jim was a member of the Louisa Rotary Club and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was also a Kentucky Colonel. He then became a member of the Murrells Inlet Elks, the American Legion, and the Surfside Moose.
He loved to travel and has been to all 50 states, often saying, “Have golf clubs, will travel.” He also traveled to 38 foreign countries. Now that his working and traveling days are over, we will take him home to rest with his family in Louisa, Kentucky on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. Funeral services will be on the 15th at 1:00 PM at the Wilson Funeral Home with Bro. Jimmy Cooksey officiating. Burial will follow in the Greenlawn Cemetery.
Friends may visit the family on Wednesday, July 15th from 11:00 AM until the time of services at the Wilson Funeral Home.
Care for James and his family has been entrusted to our family at Wilson Funeral Home.
