James Joseph Lunney

James Joseph Lunney (Jim) will be deeply missed by his family and friends. He passed
away on November 28, 2020 after a nine-month battle with lung cancer. He was
preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Valerie. He is survived by children Kim
(Michael) Strickland of Acworth, Georgia and Richard (Karen) Lunney of Marietta,
Georgia, five grandsons, sister Sandy Smith of Greensboro, North Carolina, and
girlfriend Wethu Trumble.
Originally from Rhode Island, Jim was a graduate of Bryant College and a US Air Force
veteran. His career as a computer programmer in the insurance industry brought him to
Georgia in 1981.
A life-long animal lover, he loved all dogs and they loved him just as much. His dogs
were part of the family and lived like royalty……sleeping on the bed, getting regular
walks, and even getting to play fetch in the backyard.
Jim liked to eat, and I mean eat. You could count on him to overdo it and take on the
challenge of a stack of five or six pancakes. A large breakfast with pancakes, eggs, and
bacon was his favorite. And why don’t you throw on some hash browns too!
In the late 1980s, Jim’s passion for hiking and the outdoors began. He and Valerie loved
finding and exploring new hiking trails all over north Georgia and the Southeast. He
greatly expanded his focus on fitness and eventually added running and biking to his
exercise regimen. His ultimate hiking achievement was scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania in 2018.
Always up for an adventure, Jim never said “No” to a golf trip to South Carolina or a
snow skiing trip to Colorado, Utah, or West Virginia. In fact, in his late sixties, he once
said he wanted to get four generations of Lunneys on the ski slope at once. He loved
the thrill of “getting air” while on the ski slopes. He would be so excited talking about it
afterward.
Jim enjoyed playing poker and board games with his grandchildren. But look out……
when playing cards, out came the bowls of peanuts and chips and maybe even a mixed
drink. He also played bridge, pinochle, cribbage, backgammon, and Scrabble during
most of his adult life. He and his father-in-law would playfully both claim to be the better
cribbage player, and they always bet $1 on each game.
Jim had a shirt that said “#1 Mischief Maker”, and this was appropriate. Enough said
about that.
Dad, Grandpa, Jim – whatever we called you – you showed us how to treat others with
love and compassion and without judgment. We are grateful for all the fun times and
wonderful memories. We love you now and forever!
 

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