James Allen Cook

James Allen Cook of Watkinsville, Georgia, passed away on October 20th after a brief battle with cancer.   Jim was born in Mobile, Alabama, on February 3, 1941, to Allen Cook and Beryl Betterton Cook.   After high school, Jim attended Auburn University where he met his future wife of 59 years, Janice Jones of Montevallo, Alabama.

Jim, a Navy ROTC cadet while at Auburn, was commissioned as an Ensign upon graduation in 1963.  Selected for flight school he trained to fly light attack aircraft.  Jim flew A-4 Skyhawks with VA-36, deploying twice to Vietnam in 1965 and 1968, and once to the Mediterranean Sea in 1967.  After leaving active duty, he continued his Navy service in the reserves with VA-204.  There he flew A-4 Skyhawks and A-7 Corsairs, eventually rising to the position of Commanding Officer of the squadron.  Jim finished his Navy career in Atlanta and retired with the rank of Captain.

While serving in the Naval Reserves, Jim also began his career as an airline pilot.  Active in civilian aviation for over 30 years, he flew first for Eastern Airlines and then Northwest Airlines, retiring in 2006.  For more than 40 years, Jim would always tell anyone how truly lucky he was to be able to do something he loved so very much.

As much as he enjoyed aviation, Jim’s first love was always for his family.  Jim and Janice had one son, Brandon, in 1975, whom they raised predominately in Watkinsville.  After college, Brandon followed in his father’s footsteps and is currently a pilot for Delta Air Lines.  In addition to his wife and son, Jim found great joy in time spent with his two grandsons, Holden and Nathan, and his daughter-in-law Karen.  Whether it was holiday gatherings, school orchestra concerts, time spent at the lake, or helping out with Scout projects, “Papa” was always there.

A devoted husband, father, grandfather, and father-in-law, Jim is survived by his wife, Janice, his son, Brandon, his daughter-in-law, Karen, and his grandsons, Holden and Nathan.

He will be laid to rest at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton on Monday, October 30th, at 2:00 PM.  He will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by those he held so close in his heart.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of charitable contributions to Tunnels to Towers (https://t2t.org/) or the Athens Area Humane Society (https://athenshumanesociety.org/donate/).