On March 4, 2019, James (Jim) Cooksey, loving husband, father of two children and three grandchildren, passed away at the age of 90. Jim was born on June 25, 1928 in Shreveport, Louisiana to Arthur and Vienna Cooksey in 1928. He was raised in Southwest City, Missouri and had two brothers, Kenny and Frank Cooksey. Jim attended the University of Arkansas on a basketball scholarship and served in the Air Force for three years. He worked as an electrician for Phillips Petroleum Company for 38 years at refineries in Kansas City, KS, and Borger, TX, as well as on oil platforms in the North Sea in Norway. On April 16, 1955, he married Dorothy Helen Sexton. They raised two daughters, Cathy and Susan.
Jim had a lot of passions in his life. He was very close to all of his family, extended family and many friends from throughout his life. He was an avid sportsman his entire life. He passed up an opportunity to play professional baseball and pitch for the St. Louis Browns, choosing to play basketball for the University of Arkansas and for the Air Force. He played golf most of his life and was skilled (and lucky enough) to have nine hole-in-ones in his golfing career. He was a gun collector and sharp shooter despite losing his right eye to cancer in 2009. He also played a mean game of cribbage and loved beating friends and family. After retiring from playing sports himself, he was an enthusiastic Kansas Jayhawks basketball and Kansas City Royals fan. He also enjoyed watching professional golf, especially when Tiger Woods was playing. And he especially loved watching his two grandsons play competitive baseball and listening to their adventures on the field.
In addition, Jim was an avid woodworker and even fulfilled his life-long dream of building a self-designed house from scratch, where he raised his family during the 1970s in Kansas City, Kansas. He was always available to help countless friends and family with their home projects over the years.
Jim was known for his competitive spirit, his sarcastic sense of humor, his ability to make friends quickly and deeply, and his overall positive outlook on life. Jim never met a stranger and had an infectious laugh that made others smile when near him. He loved to tell stories, especially about his time with Phillips Petroleum in Norway and about the close friends he made at the shooting range where he practiced. He had a love of good food and great affection for Lamar’s doughnuts, Jack Stack BBQ and Dairy Queen blizzards among many other items.
Jim was preceded in death by his father Arthur, his mother Vienna, and his brothers Kenny and Frank. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Dorothy, and his two daughters and their families; Cathy and Mike Brenk of Spring, Texas and their daughter, Alexandra Brenk, of Missouri City, Texas and Susan and Buster Cantrell of Lenexa, Kansas and their two sons, Ryan Cantrell of Salina, Kansas and Drew Cantrell.
A Visitation will be from 10-11:00 AM with a Funeral service following at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia Street, Lenexa, KS. Burial at Maple Hill Cemetery, 2301 S. 34 St., Kansas City, KS at 2:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to MD Anderson Cancer Center. Information can be found in the attached link. MDAnderson donation form