James Raleigh McMillian passed away on October 17, 2016. He was 80.
Known as James to his family, Jim to his friends, and granddaddy to his grandchildren, McMillian dedicated 32 years of his working life helping Delta Airlines be ready when you are. An avid bowler, Jim bowled a then rare ABC-sanctioned perfect 300 game on February 29, 1964. Twenty-nine years later on January 27, 1993, he repeated the feat. In 2014, the United States Bowling Congress honored Jim for his 35 years of participation in its national championship, a journey that took him from Reno to Niagara Falls to Tulsa and dozens of other tucked away places in between.
Born in the Deep South during the Great Depression, James spent his childhood playing barefoot (and sometimes naked) in the dirt of the red Georgia clay and trailing after his grandfather Laburn Parks McMillian, his lifelong hero. Before walking five miles to school each morning, he had to milk the family’s cows. Really. After high school, a stint in the Air Force took him all the way to… Milwaukee. Later on, on his own dime, he made it to places like Hawaii and London. Through Delta, bowling, golf, and other adventures, Jim seemingly had friends wherever he went. Rumor has it he once received a critical job promotion at a party. But his favorite role of all was simply this: being granddaddy.
James is survived by his four children, Melissa and Clem Patrick, Ken McMillian, Martha and Chuck Adams, and Lance and Carla McMillian; his three grandchildren, Caitlin and Chris Boggs, James McMillian, and Emily McMillian; and three siblings, Billie Jean and Bobby Walters, Robert McMillian, and Deborah Cox.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2016 at 2 p.m. at Mowell Funeral Home in Peachtree City, Ga. A visitation will also be held on Wednesday, October 19, 2016 from 5 – 7 p.m. at the funeral home.
Carl J. Mowell & Son Funeral Home, Peachtree City – www.mowellfuneralhome.com.
