May 26, 1948 –
January 21, 2023
Jim passed away unexpectedly on January 21, 2023.
He was born to L.C. and Katheryne Lockridge on May 26, 1948 in Rockbridge County, Virginia. He married Nancy in July 1966.
Jim worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for 44 years in sales and service of heavy equipment tires.
This career brought his family to Battle Mountain, Nevada in 1985 to service a contract with Battle Mountain Gold.
He later began traveling for Goodyear as a safety instructor, Off Road Department MSHA instructor, and operating a weight study program.
These travels took him over much of the U.S. as well as Canada, Australia, Botswana, Chili and Mexico.
All those years gave color to many stories of experiences Jim loved to share.
Jim had many interests usually including something motorized.
He enjoyed showing his 1948 Ford with his son-in-law and grandson by his side while joking around and sharing his stories over those weekends.
He had a train from his childhood that he kept in tip top shape, shared with his kids, then his grandkids and had recently taken joy in getting it to blow smoke again as its horn blew and sharing with the next generation, his cherished great-grandson.
He spent lots of time, frustration and laughs with his RC planes and flying buddies, building, flying, occasionally crashing and re-building anything that flew.
He always said “there were only two kinds of planes - those that had crashed and those that were gonna crash”.
He loved riding around- with his Bluegrass or Gospel music cranked — and stopping by friends that were outside to catch up.
He took joy in being a grandpa and watching and sharing in his grandkids lives from the time they were born until the day he left.
But being a Great Grandpa was his whole heart. He was never more thrilled as when a very short, new talker was running up to him yelling “Gate Gampaw, Gate Gampaw” and when a pair of little miracle girls showed up in 2022 and he could hold them together.
He is survived by his wife, Nancy, daughter, Stephanie (Jim) Wheeler, grandchildren, Meghan (George II) Ruiz, Nicholas (April) Lockridge, Robert (Kandise) Wheeler, Great Grandchildren, George III, Isabella and Mila, sisters, Kay Goodman and Bettie Wade Armentrout and several nieces and a nephew and finally, his beloved “doorbell” Mr. Spotty.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, and his son Charles “Chuck” Lockridge in 2021.
A special thank you to his Sage Trimmers R.C. buddies especially Al Nanney, “Lennox” Dale Tout, Tom DeFoor, Quinton DeFoor, Tyler Petersen and Marcus Koster and his long time Goodyear friends he spoke to often.
As one commented, “no one will miss him more than Dr. Pepper!”
A memorial service will be held in the Spring.
- Dad, Husband, Grandpa, Great Grandpa, Brother, Son, Uncle, Friend, Believer-
Go rest high on that mountain.
