James Kelly Ates
(April 1, 1944 – March 2, 2022)

Once upon a time our story started.  Our love, friendship, fun conversations, travels and great times. We met in the summer of 1966.  First date at the end of the year was seeing "Dr. Zhivago" in New Orleans.  Of course, he went to sleep during the movie, Married on November 10, 1967.  It would have been 55 years this year.  Together we found new adventures to make life interesting.  We traveled most all of the United States but James would never go "across the pond".  He worked very hard.  As a farmer, he enjoyed watching watermelons grow and in season, you would always find some in our refrigerator.  As a tree harvester he knew trees needed attention to grow and be replaced by new ones just as our lives.  We never argued because he was always right.  He spoke from his heart advice he gave others.  Looking back, he was offered college in Tennessee.  I think he would have done well in life as a businessman or maybe a coach.  He loved football and it did not matter who was playing.  It was for the joy of the game.  A high lite of his last years was serving on the Magee Co-op board of directors.  Interested in the needs of people, giving advise no matter if you did not do what he said but you remembered his words.  He spoke what he was thinking.

In September of 2011, life started down a new path.  He was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis.  A very cruel altering disease.   We did not realize the road we were taking at this time.  A long battle.  Medicines worked as long as they could, but breathing became harder as time went on.  Oxygen 24-7 and movement of the body decreased.  He peacefully went away from us on March 2, 2022 to a new life.  Very tired from years of not being able to do the things he enjoyed.  He was my love and my best friend and nothing meant more to me than sharing life with him.  The 54 years and 4 months went faster than we wanted.  Life is like a dream.  Blink your eyes and it can be over.

James would have been 78 on April 1, 2022.  He leaves behind a sweet loving family.  A daughter, Bethany.  The son he never brought into this world but came into our life, Bethany's husband Benjamin Ryland Percy.  Three wonderful grandchildren: Katherine Paige Percy, Lily Grace Percy and James Cannon Percy.  A host of Friends and the one who misses him most, his wife, Elizabeth Ann Posey Ates.

I read the following recently and wanted to share.

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free

I am following the path God laid for me

I took his hand when I heard him call

I turned my back and left it all

I could not stay another day to laugh, to love, to work or play

Tasks lift undone must stay that way

I've found that peace at the close of the day

If my parting had left a void

Then seal it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss

Oh, these things, I too will miss

Be not burdened with time of sorrow

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow

My life's been full

I savored much

Good Friends, good times, a loved one's touch

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief

Lift up your heart and share with me

God wanted me now

He set me free

Gone from this life

But remembered by many

Today and always, I am

I love you

Ann

To the Magee Courier:  James looked forward to the paper each week.  He read it from front to back.  Then he would encourage me to read certain articles.  I always enjoyed humor.

Special thanks to St. Dominic Internal Medicine, Dr. Jerry Scott Harrison, Kindred at Home of Magee, Mississippi, Mississippi Home Care of Magee, Mississippi, Deaconess Hospice of Laurel, Mississippi, Dr. James L. Warnock Jr. MD, Baptist Heart Anticoagulation Clinic of Jackson, Mississippi, Jackson Pulmonary Mallie Doty NP, Dr. William Denney, Dr. Timothy Cannon, Dr. Thomas Blackledge of Magee, Mississippi, and Colonial Chapel Funeral Home staff.