James Arthur Coley, 89, of Fayetteville, Georgia, beloved husband of Daphne Ann Veal Coley for over 63 years and loving father of three children passed away on Saturday, June 20, 2020, at Belmont Village Senior Living Community in Cardiff by the Sea, California.
James was born March 3, 1931, in Ocilla, Georgia, to the late Arthur and Maggie Lee Griffin Coley. He graduated from Ocilla High School in 1949 where he was the star quarterback of the football team from 1947-1949.
After high school, James joined the United States Air Force and served his country honorably during the Korean War. Then, with his expert knowledge of airplanes, James was employed by Delta Airlines, serving in the engineering technical publications department for more than 38 years.
He and the love of his life, Daphne Ann Veal Coley, married in 1957 and moved to Fayetteville, Georgia, in 1965 where they raised their three children and were active members of the Fayetteville First Baptist Church.
James was an avid golfer with a handicap that matched many professionals and a founding member of Flat Creek Country Club in Peachtree City. Even more, James was a patriot with an undying love for his country who proudly instilled our country’s rich history and the importance of its founding principles in his children.
James is survived by his wife of 63 years, Daphne Ann Veal Coley; his children, Tamara A. Coley Seymour of San Diego, California; Caia Coley (Michael Feifer) previously of Los Angeles, California; and J. Arthur Coley (Pamela Coley) of Stockbridge, Georgia; grandchildren, Coley Feifer of Los Angeles, California; Kayla Sharpe, and Jacob (Anna) Schwab of Stockbridge, Georgia; great-grandchildren, Maddy Smith-Moultrie, and Trevor and Dillan Schwab; and two brothers, Edsel Coley (Sue) of Ocilla, Georgia, and Jerry Coley of Tifton, Georgia. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Charles and Robert, and two sisters, Louetta Coley Gordon and Mary Ellen Coley Pittman Rae.
Family and friends are invited for visitation at Mowell Funeral Home in Fayetteville, Georgia, on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM. An additional visitation will be held for family and friends in Ocilla, Georgia, at Paulk Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Also, family and friends are invited to the Graveside Service to be held at Holt Baptist Church, 129 Holt Road, Wray, Georgia, 31798, on Thursday, July 2, 2020, at 9:00 AM.
