A picture is worth a 1,000 words.
James Oliver McCoy was born July 29, 1931, and grew up in Los Angeles with his parents and sister Barbara. While in College Jim worked his “best job ever” as a Dude Ranch Cowboy, he graduated from Claremont/Mckenna in 1953. After college, he served as a Platoon commander in Bavaria. There he fell in love with Sonja Hueber. This first marriage produced a daughter, Monika Ann (a Chiropractor today), and a son Robert Michael (who sadly died at age 19 in 1980). Jim chose to work with Shell Oil upon his return. After 7 years, he bought a tiny ice cream company because “it was worth very little money and that is what I had: very little money”. Jim intended to buy and sell businesses throughout his career but decided to stay in the ice cream business for 36 years enjoying the lifestyle and friendships he had grown to love.
At a food show in 1970 Jim met Jeney Watanabe Young and in 1975 they made a new life together in Santa Barbara. Jeney’s 4 sons (Kevin, Mike, Jimmy, Andy) along with Monika and Robert welcomed little Jeni Reiko McCoy into the family on August 6th, 1977. 35 years of happy times ensued. Jim’s civic activity over the years included the SB Kiwanis Club, Boys and Girls committee chairman many years, YMCA board (twice president), Old Spanish Days board (El Presidente 1993). Socially he belonged to: Montecito Country Club, University Club, Yacht Club, Rancheros Visitadores, Los Rancheros Pobres, YMCA, Pescatores and the Los Fiesteros Dance Club.
Jim’s number one passion was the loving relationship he had with his wife Jeney. He loved the outdoors world and enjoyed swimming, beach walking, sailing, horse back riding, and skiing. He was an amazing listener and meditated daily. Jim died peacefully in his sleep of congestive heart failure, free from pain, on Jan. 8, 2013, with his beloved wife and daughter at his side. A service is planned for Thursday, March 21, 2013 at 2 pm at the Montecito Country Club.
Some last “Thoughts” written by big Jim:
DEATH – There is no requirement to agree on anything. However no rational human would argue that we are not all terminal. Birth/Death is something we all experience. There are countless opinions about death; consider this one. There is no judgment but our own. Every day we make hundreds, perhaps thousands of decisions. Each decision contributes to and is recorded by our subconscious/soul. Thus we create our own next dimension because our soul is our own creation. Each one is responsible for his own fate after life. This computes to perfect justice for me. What a genius God is.
LOVE – The most noble of all human traits. We all wish to be loved but we have little control over this. What we can control is to be loving. Love – the more we give the more we get, that is simply the law.
THE MEANING AND PURPOSE OF LIFE – One’s purpose in life is to achieve individual inner peace. Two ways that work: 1) Never do anything that would make you ashamed or embarrassed in front of that personality or spirit that you most admire. 2) Prayer and meditation. Prayer is talking to the being, soul, God in you. Meditation is listening to the being, soul, or God in you. For general guidance, meditate. For specific guidance, pray. It is a promise. If you can discipline yourself to do this, you will live in serenity -Nirvana.
