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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Capt. James

Capt. James L. Wilks Profile Photo

L. Wilks

March 5, 1940 – July 24, 2021

Obituary

Retired Air Force Captain James L. Wilks earned his wings again on Saturday, July 24, returning to the sky at the age of 81 to be among the heavenly bodies and family members he loved. Jim was preceded in death by his devoted wife Anita, his sisters Polly, Alice and Florence, his brothers Earl and Ed, and his parents Ruth and Lewis. His older sister Frances is living in Kansas with many beloved family members and friends.
After Anita passed in 2018, Jim carried a sadness with him for the remaining years of his life as he greatly missed his high school sweetheart during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim died at home, as he wanted, surrounded in love. His death was the result of the end stages of dementia.
Jim was born at home in Arkansas surrounded by acres and acres of rice his large loving family grew and harvested. He was the baby of the family, the youngest of seven children.
He often said he was a backwoods farm boy who could not comprehend what the most beautiful woman in the world saw in him to agree to become his wife in 1959. What he didn't realize is, not only did he give her more love than any other person could, he also handed her the world - literally and figuratively. Together they slow waltzed around the globe throughout his military career in the Air Force from a young enlisted recruit in the early 1960s, to obtaining his college degree in the 1970s and straight through to his becoming an officer, and he was always a gentleman. They then retired to Medina County in the 1990s to return to the peaceful rural life of the country.
Jim welcomed everyone he met into his life with a smile, his most memorable and handsome feature. He was a strong and compassionate man, teaching many of us what it truly means to be living each day in gratitude and loving his cherished sweetheart until his very last breath. He was a kind and caring man, a mentor, a gardener, a builder, a quiet artist, a layer of concrete and a bit of a jokester too. He loved a good pun. He was a patient and kind-hearted man who taught his daughter to learn from her mistakes because, as he said, they weren't failures, they were practical learning opportunities.
In the last days of his life, Jim's care team included the wonderful folks of River City Hospice (Billy, Sylvia, Jasmine and Pastor Martine), as well as his "kids" Billy and Dawn, and his two dogs Slugger and Sweetie Pie. He will be greatly missed by many friends and family all around the world as well as here at home. I know he wishes he could have seen each of you one last time, just to say how much you meant to him, how much he enjoyed you in his life, how much he loved you and just how much he wishes he could have stayed with us longer to see how the future unfolded. Fly high, Captain Wilks. Godspeed.
James Wilks will be buried at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 12, with full military honors. A Celebration of his Life will be held at a future date. If you would like to honor Jim's life, please make a donation to the Medina County Food Pantry or the Hondo Animal Care Services Shelter.
Donations for the MCFP can be sent to:
Medina County Food Pantry
P.O. Box 674
Hondo, Texas 78861
Checks made out to: Medina County Food Pantry
Donations for the Hondo ACS can be sent to:
City of Hondo
Attention - Chief Brian Valenzuela
1030 Avenue Y
Hondo, Texas 78861
Checks made out to: City of Hondo ACS
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Capt. James L. Wilks, please visit our flower store.

Funeral Services

Graveside Service

August
12

Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery

1520 Harry Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, TX 78209

Starts at 2:00 pm

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