James Pruett Funeral

James Aubrey Pruett, Jr.

July 25, 1945 ~ April 16, 2026 (age 80)

James Pruett, a native resident of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away on April 16, 2026, at the age of 80. Born on July 25, 1945, to the late James and Iantha Pruett, he was a proud veteran of the United States Navy.

James was a man of many interests, most notably his passion for car racing and showing off his two hot rods. He was a licensed ham radio operator and enjoyed his collection of "boy toys" like electronics, model airplanes and guitars. Also known for his sharp wit and sense of humor, he often joked that he was not afraid of hard work, claiming he "could lay down beside it all day long and not be bothered."

He is survived by his wife, Judith Pruett; his step-children, Chris Jones (Hazel) and Amy Barrack; his step-son-in-law, Scott Bolinger; and his niece, Liann Pruett. He also leaves behind his extended family, Joyce and Keith Shaw, and many other friends and lifelong neighbors. James was preceded in death by his parents, his step-daughter, Kelly Bolinger and step-son, Robert Jones.

His presence and humor will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved him.

A Living Hope: Comfort in Grief

Bible Passage: 1 Peter 1:3–9

Today we mourn the loss of a wonderful man. A man who if you spent any amount of time with, you had a nick name or you knew how quick witted he was with anything you might say to him. A man who’s love of mayonnaise and NASCAR, only came second to his love of his family and friends. Today is a difficult day for all of us who knew the great man that Jim was. Judy and family our hearts hurt not only for the loss but also for the pain and loss you are suffering. We stand here today to grieve with you and for you. As I do at all services of this nature, I want to remind all of you to allow yourself to grieve. Allow yourself to not be OK. Understand that these are feelings that are given by God and are feelings that we all will experience as we traverse this earth. These feelings though are a part of our life and as painful as they are, are not the ending that God has prepared for us. In my few interactions with Jim I knew him to be a man of integrity, character, comedy, and love. I knew him to also be a man who expected that when you wanted to tell him something that you get to the point. As I prepared this message in his honor I thought it best to honor that expectation of Jim and get straight to the point. In the scripture we are provided an understanding of what it is we are all working towards, and what we can have in a relationship with the Lord. Jim shared in a relationship with the Lord and I believe he would want us to grieve but also celebrate for him. Grieve his absence in our lives but to celebrate the fact that he does not walk with an oxygen tank where he is, he is not suffering where he is, and he is just waiting for the day Judy and family that you are all reunited with him. In 1 Peter we are provided a picture of how we operate in life through loss and through grief. We see in this scripture three distinct aspects. First we can Praise for living hope. Second we have a promise of a secure inheritance, and lastly there is a purpose in the trials and joy of life. You can remain seated, I am going to read our scripture this morning and then we will pray and I will give a few quick words regarding what the scripture provides us today.

1 Peter 1:3–9 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1. Praise God for Living Hope

1 Peter 1:3 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Jim had some real passions in life and while he would work on his cars, or fly his model planes, or talk across the world on his radio. There was one important aspect of Jim’s life that we can all have hope in today. That was the living hope he had in our savior Jesus Christ. This scripture is a reminder to us today that because Jesus rose from the grave, the grave we face has no eternal power over our souls. While we experience the grave in a very personal way and we experience the loss and hurt of those who go before us, the grave as we have it is not a permanent place. Jesus provides us a living hope. We do not grieve in a finality. While we grieve the separation and loss, we do not grieve a permanent loss.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

We have a living hope and we know that James is in the presence of Jesus today. This does not allow us to avoid the pain of loss, it does however give us hope in what is to come. What is to come is a the promise of a secure inheritance.

2. Promise of a Secure Inheritance

1 Peter 1:4–5 ESV

4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We are not left in a place of guessing and hoping but are provided a very clear picture of what our future and what Jim’s current state is. The scripture states that what Jim has today and what we hope for in the future is an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance. These are strong words used to help us understand the truth about what God has for us. Because of what Jesus did Jim has recieved an inheritance that will never fade. The state that Jim finds himself in today is not a state where he will ever have to worry about going through what he went though here on earth. Jim has recieved an inheritance that is imperishable.

John 10:28 ESV

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

Romans 8:38–39 ESV

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are given here a promise of something permanent and not something fading. Jim is now in a final permanent perfected state in the presence of the Lord.

3. Purpose in Trials and Joy

1 Peter 1:6–9 ESV

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We currently must grieve and feel the pain of loss. This pain and this suffering is for a little while. In comparison to eternity what we face today is truly just a small amount of time.

2 Peter 3:8 ESV

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Jim is waiting for us and even if it were a thousand years from now when we united with him it would be as to him 1 day. The suffering and pain we experience today is temporary. We are called to rejoice in this to celebrate in this, and to remind ourselves of this time being very temporary. So this morning I want to leave you with the confidence of knowing that Jim, he is not in pain any longer, he is in the presence of Jesus, and he waits for you one day. I want to provide you hope that this pain, it is real and it hurts. And while I know there are those who say it gets better. I cannot promise you that while you are here, it will ever get better. What I can promise you is that every day you experience the pain of separation and the loss of such a wonderful person, it will cause you to long for the inheritance that you are provided in Christ. If you do not have that inheritance it is not far off and there is nothing you need to do except to believe in the name of Jesus Christ. If you have that, I cannot tell you that it takes the pain away, but it does give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.