James B. (Jim) Hutchins, Jr. passed away at his Covington home on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018.
Born at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in 1952, Mr. Hutchins had been valiantly battling cancer since September of last year.
Raised in Covington, he was an avid tennis player during his youth and represented Fowler Tennis Center in tournaments across the South. After graduating from Newton County High School in 1970, he attended West Georgia College before transferring to the University of Georgia to complete his education, remaining a staunch fan of Georgia athletics, particularly football, for the remainder of his life.
In 1979 Mr. Hutchins began a career as a Delta Airlines Customer Service Representative that he would keep for the rest of his life. At the time of his death on Thursday he was among the longest-tenured employees at Delta and had hundreds of close friends with whom he worked and thousands of customers that sought him out at his special place at the Sky Priorities Elite Services desk.
He also had a number of passions in life, among them urban gardening. He enjoyed raising a variety of fruits and vegetables and during the appropriate season sold them at his own farmer’s market stand. He was also a collector of vintage automobiles and loved traveling the world. He utilized his Delta flight benefits to take spontaneous trips around the world, seeking the best food and cultural oddities. He was also a collector and appreciator of Southern kitsch and loved spending time and swapping stories of his adventures with his friends and fellow Delta employees.
He was a loving father to his children Annie and Sean.
Mr. Hutchins is survived by his father, James B. Hutchins, Sr. and stepmother Beth, of Covington, his daughter Annie Hutchins, of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Sean Teichert (and wife Candice), of Dunwoody, as well as sister Karen (husband Danny) Miller, of Atlanta, Lee (wife Joy) Meadors, of Covington, and Elizabeth (husband Rod) Giannace, of McDonough.
He is preceded in death by his mother, Rebecca Alford Hutchins and sister Becky Hutchins Digby.
Caldwell & Cowan Funeral Home of Covington is in charge of Mr. Hutchin’s arrangements. The family will be receiving guests at the funeral home at 1215 Access Road in Covington, Ga from 5 until 7 pm on Saturday, January 13. Funeral services will be held on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2:00 PM, at Caldwell & Cowan Chapel. Lifelong friend Darrell Huckaby will be officiating and Rev. Tim Barnes will be in charge of the music. Interment will follow in Shadowlawn Cemetery in Lawrenceville.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Melanoma Research Foundation, Washington, D.C.
