James Thatcher Courtney's Obituary
On Monday, July 24, 2023, James Thatcher Courtney, much loved husband and father passed away at age 89. Thatcher, as he was called, was born on March 21,1934 in DeFuniak Springs, Florida to James Earl Courtney and Alma Warren Courtney. He grew up in Florida and South Carolina where he met and married the love of his life, Mildred Viola Harrison in 1954. They would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary in August. The couple raised two daughters, Deborah Louise Courtney and Mildred Ann Courtney. During this time, he graduated from Florida State University in 1966 with a degree in Business Management. He was proud to be the first in his family to get a college degree.
Thatcher worked in Human Resources in various agencies for the State of Florida until he retired in 1990 at age 58. Then he began the RV Life. Thatcher and Mildred traveled all over the United States in their RV and spent most summers in Alaska salmon fishing.
He also enjoyed deer hunting with his brothers in the fall. Vegetable gardening was one of his favorite hobbies and he always had a freezer full of homegrown veggies (and deer meat). Later in life during his golden years, his wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He became her caretaker and devoted his life to caring for her. She was still the love of his life and he was hers. He lived his life with gusto up to his last day. In fact, he mowed his lawn the day before he passed at 89 years old. Everyone that knew Thatcher loved him. He was a rare soul that never held a grudge and managed his life from a place of love. Family was the most important thing to him and his family adored him. His is the best example of a life well lived.
Thatcher is survived by his wife, Mildred, his daughters, Deborah (Brian) and Ann, his grandchildren, Jimmy and Courtney (Carlos), and his brothers Jim, John (Norma), Don, and Tom (Dena).
A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, July 28 at 3:00 PM at Williams-Thomas Funeral Home, 823 NW 143rd St, Gainesville FL 32669. Reception following the service. The family will receive friends beginning at 2:30 p.m. No graveside service due to the extreme heat. Final resting place is Fairbanks Cemetery in the Courtney family plot.
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