James Thomas Puckett

Hugs and prayers as this one we have loved, the kind and wonderful James Thomas Puckett, has passed away.

When you think of the tapestry of his life, Jim has been a “Renaissance Man”. Born into a straight laced, military family on November 23, 1949, in San Francisco, CA. Jim was raised as an Army brat, he moved around until his parents retired to OKC when he was in the 8th grade. As if written into a script, Chemistry class his senior year brought him Gail. The two formed a bond beyond any Periodic Table of Elements. Together they had fun cutting school; he calling in to the school as her father, Mr. House, & she calling in as Mrs. Puckett. The joke was that Mr. House had left his family the year before and the true Mrs. Puckett went ballistic when she found out saying, “She won’t be called Mrs. Puckett, until she is Mrs. Puckett!!!!” The universe later played another joke on the straight laced family when Jim and Gail truly became Mr. and Mrs. Puckett on December 19, 1970 and in 1975 welcoming their beautiful bouncing baby boy, Chad Puckett, was born.

The years brought many ups & downs, numerous jobs (undercover agent like Starsky & Hutch and forensic document examiner to name a few), a 2 year long-distance marriage while work sent him to Chicago left him in a different city than the family he loved. Eventually everything aligned with an opportunity for the family to finally reunite wIth his move back to OKC and a Post of Duty created just for him in the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. He was not only blessed to work with great and interesting people for many years, but thoroughly enjoyed reading and traveling to different parts of the incredible world, thus enjoying so many things and expanding his and Gail’s life beyond imagination. This great guy and sexiest man alive and his shrine worthy goddess celebrated their Golden Anniversary quarantined in 2020 due to the pandemic. But in his truly loving and razzing manner, Jim stated “He didn’t know he’d be doing life when he said, ‘I do!’ … in the Federal prison system a life sentence is usually only 25 years!!!!” Yet, the union of 2 kids cutting high school classes outlasted all expectations and many other marriages as well!

The beautiful soul this world knew as Jim is survived by his shrine worth goddess, Gail Puckett, his baby boy who is now a grown man, Chad Puckett, a beautiful, super heroine daughter-in-law, Cindy Puckett, and three amazingly precious jewels (Madelyn, Rachel Kate, & Caroline Puckett) with their magnetic powers, had their Papa instantly wrapped around their little fingers the minute they joined our little orbit. Throughout his life, his entire family became his friends & his many, many friends, all over the world, became family!

Jodi Picoult, in “The Book of Two Ways” says what many of us feel in moments like this. “I think people assume death is all or nothing. Someone is here, or they’re not. But that’s not what it’s like, is it? The echo of you is still here – in your children or grandchildren, in the art you made while living, in the memories other people have of you.”

Hugs and prayers as we release this one we have loved, this kind and wonderful, smart and (dare I say) sexy man. His soul will always be with us, only the broken body left us!