James Edward Doak's Obituary
James “Jim” Edward Doak, age 80 of Leesburg, Florida passed away on January 12th, 2020. He was born in Kokomo, Indiana on February 3rd, 1939 to Robert and Mary Doak. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Donna Darlene McAllister Doak; daughters, LaTisha (Jason) Holley and Janelle (Kim) Griffin; sister, Shirley (Cecil) Henderson; grandchildren, Brandon Jacobs, Justin Holley, Caitlyn Holley and Corey Rogers; and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brother, Robert “Bobby” Doak.
Jim worked for the City of Kokomo as firefighter and arson investigator for 22 years before retiring to Lake County, FL in 1987. During his time with the fire department and well into his “retirement”, Jim worked a number of various jobs including construction, running a fruit stand, selling satellite dishes, working for the City of Tavares, selling furniture and as a crossing guard for the Lake County School system. Despite the large number of jobs that Jim had, his work was always secondary to his family.
The three things that Jim loved most in his life were his family, sports and making people laugh. Fortunately, he was able to wrap all these loves into one amazing package. His love of sports led his eldest, Tish, to fall in love with the game of golf, and his youngest, Janelle, to play basketball. Tish continues to play and loved to tell her dad about her long-drive contest wins, and Janelle was part of the Tavares Bulldogs run into the State Tournament in 1992. Jim was immensely proud of both girls for their athletic accomplishments. Jim instilled in them his love of Indiana basketball and Bobby Knight, Chicago Bears football and White Sox baseball. Sports was a language they all spoke and a tight bond they all shared. As his four grandchildren grew, he was very involved with their activities and would make sure to attend as many of their games or events as he could. He was proud of being a Papaw to his grandchildren and loved to share jokes (sometimes borderline inappropriate ones) with them.
Jim was always ready to share a joke or a funny story. He never met a stranger. He would talk to anyone about their lives and loved to share his stories. If there was a person within 500’ of him that was from Indiana, he had a way of finding them and talking about home.
The most important thing in Jim’s life was his wife of 49 years, Donna. During the last few weeks of his life, he was increasingly insistent that she be safe and comfortable. He was far more worried about her well-being than what was happening with him. They shared a life filled with travel; back and forth to their friends and family in Kokomo as well as many trips to the west coast of Florida to visit the beaches they loved so much. Recently they started taking weekly trips to the casino in Tampa and Jim loved to brag about how amazing Donna was at the slots.
Jim will be missed by countless friends and family, but he leaves behind a colorful tapestry of stories and memories that will be shared by them forever. We will miss Papaw dearly but the impact he made on so many lives will last forever.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, January 25th, 2020 at 12:00 PM at The Fraternal Order of Eagles, 27150 Haywood Worm Farm Rd, Okahumpka, FL 34762.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Steverson, Hamlin & Hilbish Funerals and Cremations, 226 E. Burleigh Blvd., Tavares, FL 32778, (352)343-4444. Online condolences may be left on the Tribute Wall at www.steversonhamlinhilbish.com
What’s your fondest memory of James?
What’s a lesson you learned from James?
Share a story where James' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with James you’ll never forget.
How did James make you smile?
