James Edward Koons

James “Jim” Edward Koons, 79, unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, in Las Cruces, NM. He was born in Tulsa, OK, on October 12, 1944, to Harold Franklin and Dorothy Mildred (Dolen) Koons. He was the youngest of three boys behind Harry Franklin and Raymond Eugene. Jim excelled in cross country and track at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, where he began a lifelong friendship with his teammate, Ray Smith.

It was during high school that Jim met the love of his life, Evelyn Jane Logan, on February 16, 1962, at the UMYF District Carnival. She remained in Tulsa when he headed to Annapolis, MD, after receiving a Senatorial appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Jim continued to run cross country and track at the Academy while studying engineering. The visits back home to see Jane were few and far between, but on one of those special visits, Jim proposed to her at the Tulsa Rose Gardens in July 1965. They were married just 12 days after his graduation at New Haven Methodist Church in Tulsa, OK, on June 18, 1966. Only four months later, Jim was deployed to proudly serve his country with the Great 58 Seabee Battalion in the Vietnam War, and he made it home just days before their first anniversary. He continued to be proud of his military education and service and could regularly be seen wearing Academy apparel.

Jim always excelled academically and continued his education at the University of Michigan earning a Bachelor and Master of Civil Engineering. This is where he developed his lifelong passion for Michigan Wolverine football. One of his personal highlights was celebrating his 75th birthday watching a Michigan homecoming victory with his two sons at The Big House. Their oldest son, Vance Patrick, was born in Ann Arbor, MI, on December 14, 1968. After returning to Annapolis to continue his military service, their youngest son, Brian Scot, was born on July 8, 1970. The military took the family to Meridian, Mississippi, where Jim ended his eight years of service.

Jim’s first civilian employment with the Benham Group moved the family to Edmond, OK. The family was raised attending the First United Methodist Church of Edmond and were later one of the founding families of New Covenant United Methodist Church. While in Edmond, Jim finalized his education at Central State University earning a Master of Business Administration.

The family relocated in 1987 to Scottsdale, AZ, where Jim eventually entered the field of facilities management. He was with St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ball State University in Muncie, IN, and eventually retired in 2010 from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. The pinnacle of his career was being on the team responsible for bringing the George W. Bush Presidential Library to the SMU campus.

Retirement led Jim and Jane to Las Cruces, NM, where Jim could enjoy his hobbies of hiking and golf which afforded him the opportunity to make a hole-in-one. He enjoyed going to the pueblos and reservations to meet the Native American artists and amassed quite a collection of pottery and other artistry. Jim and Jane were in the process of moving to Tulsa, OK, when he passed.

Jim is survived by: his spouse, Jane Logan Koons, of Las Cruces, NM; his sons, Vance Patrick Koons and wife, Chris (Alexander), of Celina, TX; and Brian Scot Koons and his wife, Kelli (Wilson), of Shawnee, OK; his grandchildren, Nicole Rianna Koons of Krugerville, TX; Brice Logan Koons of Shawnee, OK, and his fiancé, Layni Thompson, of Norman, OK; Mason Edward Koons of Boise, ID; and Kaitlin Noel Koons of Shawnee, OK; his brother Raymond Eugene Koons of Bullard, TX; his sister-in-law Sondra (Mumford) Koons wife of the late Harry Franklin Koons; and Jane’s sisters, Linda Lou Logan of Tulsa, OK; and Kathryn Anne (Logan) Evanson and spouse, Michael, of Tulsa, OK; as well as several nieces and nephews and their children. He was preceded in death by: his grandparents Harry and Pearl Dolen; and Joseph and Nellie Koons; his parents Harold Franklin Koons and Dorothy Mildred Koons; and his brother Harry Franklin Koons.

The family memorial service will be held in Tulsa, OK. Those who wish to make a memorial donation may direct those funds to the United States Naval Academy Foundation, Processing Center, PO Box 79169, Baltimore, MD 21270-0169 or the American Heart Association.