James Theodore Coble Jr. Obituary (1935

James Theodore Coble, Jr. (87) of Decatur, Il lost his battle to cancer but passed away peacefully with his family near his side and went to join his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on November 2, 2022. A service to celebrate Jim's eternal life will be held on 11:00am, Thursday, November 10, 2022 at Salem Baptist Church, 2650 S. Taylorville Rd, Decatur, IL with Pastor Gerald Thompson officiating. Burial with military honors will be in the South Macon Township Cemetery, Macon, IL. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation on Wednesday evening from 4:30pm-7pm at the Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Home (Macon, IL). Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www.dawsonwikoff.com or Dawson & Wikoff Funeral Home, 971 Prescott Court, Macon, IL 62544. James T. Coble, Jr. was born on September 28, 1935 to James T. Coble and T. Corena Coble near the little Wabash river (Louisville, IL) on a self-sustaining farm in a hurriedly built 3 room house (his parents had rushed to Il to escape the Oklahoma dust storms). Jim grew up on a farm in Louisville with his parents, sisters (Priscilla, Glenda, Arilla) and his brothers (Bill, Alton). He served in the Navy from 1953 - 1956 on the destroyer, USS John R. Craig, and then began working for IBM as a customer service engineer soon after his return. He worked 35 years for IBM before retiring; always thankful for the life-long friends that he made there. Jim married Mary Hinkle Novak on November 7, 1959 in Decatur, IL. They remained in Decatur where they raised 5 children, all of whom greatly appreciate the love that their parents showed to one another for just short of 55 years. Jim was known as a fix-it guy that assisted whomever he could, whenever he could, whether it was fixing cars, machines, or cutting down trees. He always loved to learn in order to keep his body, mind, and faith strong. Jim's hobbies were playing his mandolin, songwriting/singing, listening to bluegrass/gospel music, gardening, fishing, tinkering, praying and reading/studying his Bible. He loved to tell stories to others that included humor, compassion, life lessons, and his love for the Lord. He was very loved by all those that knew him. Surviving are his 3 sons: Larry Novak, Michael (Valarie) Coble, Robert Coble, and his 2 daughters: Cindy (Jeff) Denning, Kathy (Ron) Scammahorn, 5 grandsons (Matthew, Andrew, David, Stephen, Keith), 2 granddaughters (Kayla, Jessie)/1 granddaughter-in-law (Amber), and 1 great granddaughter (Sadie Grace). He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, sister (Priscilla), and brothers (Alton, Bill). The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement throughout the last 5 months as Jim fought the cancer with a brave and positive attitude until the end. Memorial donations can be made to Cancer Care Center of Decatur or the Covenant House New York - Under 21, Inc.