James Sanford Lokey II, "Jim" to all and "Jeep" to his family, a retired U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant, passed away at his home Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was born 23 Jul 1957 on Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, where his father, James Sanford Lokey, and mother Ruth (LeMay) Lokey were stationed at the time.

Jim was a 1975 graduate of Oakland High School in his hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where he was a proud band member. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1975 right out of high school and was assigned to fighter aircraft squadrons as a weapons control system specialist and life support supervisor. His career took him to a dozen locations around the world including Germany, England, Turkey, South Korea and Saudi Arabia as well as being deployed with combat units during Operation Desert Storm. He retired from the Air Force in 1995. After his retirement from the military, Jim worked for McDonnell-Douglas and Boeing supporting the government of Saudi Arabia as a Life Support Equipment specialist supporting the Saudi Air Force. He relocated to Georgia working first for ISI Inc and Avon International Safety Instruments and then with Georgia Hardwoods in Buford, Georgia, until his retirement in 2020.

Everyone who knew Jim knew him to have a big heart and constant sense of humor. He was an avid Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Falcons football fan. His sense of family was evident in his opening of his home to the Griggs Family Reunions, a time he was grateful for building and establishing connections with families and friends. He was an avid woodworker making many specialty pieces for family and friends and an avid card player building his own poker table located in his game room called "The Hangar" that provided hours of entertainment and storytelling by all for decades.

Jim was preceded in death by his father, James Lokey I and one daughter, Amelia "Mia" Jaymes Lokey. Jim is survived by his wife Georgia (Griggs) Lokey of Dacula, Georgia, his mother, Ruth (LeMay) Lokey of Richmond, Virginia, his brother Joe Lokey of Harrisonburg, Virginia, his sister Beth O'Leary of Richmond, Virginia, his adopted children Eric and Elsa (Heinisch) Lokey and his daughter Gretchen Helena (Lokey) Lopez of Tucson, Arizona, along with four grandchildren (Aaron, Aydrian, Luna, and Mia) and numerous nieces and nephews.

A celebration of his life will be held at his home Saturday by his family and friends sharing memories and stories so precious to all. He will be interred at the National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia, on October 21st at 11:30 a.m. with full military honors. The family asks that any donations in lieu of flowers should be sent in his name to Inspire Hospice and Palliative Care, 6650 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Suite 800, Duluth, GA 30097.