James Edward Cockayne

James "Jim" Edward Cockayne passed away in his home in Fountain Green, UT on June 16, 2026 at the age of 94.

Jim was born on February 24, 1932 in Salt Lake City, UT to Charles and Edna Cockayne. He attended East High School in Salt Lake City where he joined the ROTC. In 1951, he joined the Navy and served in the Korean War. He enjoyed his time in the service, serving in Japan as a diesel mechanic on the ships and loved to talk about this time in his life with his kids and grandkids.

He married Mary Margaret "Peggy" Clark on May 27, 1955. Together they raised four children: Sherree, Dan, Don, and Laurie.

Known for his creativity and ingenuity, he delighted in building and repairing things. He had a lifelong appreciation for the engineering of trains and airplanes. His love of flight led him to become a private pilot and was a member of the Civil Air Patrol for many years.

Jim was skilled in many areas, working in construction and eventually fulfilling his dream of moving to the country and building his own home. In 1977, he moved outside of Lavina, Montana and built a log cabin where he and Peggy lived for nearly 50 years. They owned and operated the Lavina Country Store for 10 years. He loved his property in Montana and cherished the wonderful friendships he made with his neighbors. He was involved in community service throughout his years in Montana. He created their own nine hole golf course and would be found out on his property golfing with Peggy every morning into his nineties. Friends and family loved to join him for a round on the "Shoestring Golf Course".

Jim spent countless hours crafting an HO gauge model train room in their home and enjoyed coming up with unique and inventive ways to design the landscape. He found joy in collecting movies, at one time owning a catalog of over 1,000 films. He appreciated classical symphony music, spending many hours a day in recent years rediscovering old favorites on his iPad.

Jim is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Edna, siblings Barbara and Donald, great granddaughter Kayla and great grandson Ezra. He is survived by his wife, Peggy, children Sherree (Gordon), Dan (Michele), Don and Laurie (Dan), sisters Judy and Lynne, 14 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren.

The funeral will be held on Friday, June 26, 2026 at 11 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 8273 N Simpson Springs Road, Eagle Mountain, UT. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. Interment will be at Camp Williams Veteran's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Dean Creek Voluntary Fire Department Association: 531 Dean Creek Road, Lavina, MT 59046.