James Boyd Sockwell Jr., 76, of Lake Placid , flew West on his fi nal flight as his solar dock - li t " runway " illuminated the way , wi th a gorgeous Sunrise a t his back on Tuesday m orning , December 6, 2022. James was born on December 4, 1946 , in Greensboro, and ra ised in McLeansville, North Carolina . He w as the son of Geneva (Snow) and J a mes Boyd Sockwell , Sr. James ( " Jay " ) has been a resident of Lake Placid for the past 6 years moving here from Miami (Pine crest) where he resided for over 38 years. Ja y graduate d from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in June of 1969 and was comm issioned as a 2 nd Lieutenant in the United States Air Force on the same d ay. He se rv ed his country with honors as an aircraft commander pilot fl ying KC - 135 tankers and reached the rank of Capt ain . After serving his country, Ja y started his car e er as a commercial pilot first with A ir Florida, then Piedmont , and retir ed from US Airways. Throughout his car eer , Jay flew the B -707 (KC-135), B-720, DC - 9, B-737, F-28, B- 727, B - 7 57, B - 767 both domestic and international as a F irst O fficer and Capt ain. As a result, he logged approximately 21 , 000 hours of fl ight time between 1969 and 20 06 . It was a lifelong d ream career to be ab le to soar the skies and travel the wor ld. He was a n active member of Christ t he King Lutheran Church in South Miami, serv ed on the Fellowship Com missio n, Foundation, and as an Usher ; A ssociate member at Faith Lut heran in Sebring ; American Legion Placid Post 25 ; Lake Placid Elks Lodge ; and the Heartland LakeSharks Parrot H ead C lub , where they " Part y with a Purpose " . Ja y loved flying, spending time in the Florida Keys, boating, fishing, touring the United States and countless countr ies around the world , and watching the beautiful sunsets on Lake Huntley . He loved to be with his family and friends anytime they could get together , especially spending time with his four grandchildren . Ja y is survived by the love of his life, Catherine, who he was married to for just short of 52 years, daughters; Laura Raben (Damon), Jennifer Nash (Jason ) and grandchildren ; Dylan, Ethan, Emily , and Jack. A service to celebrate Ja y ' s life will be held January 7, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. at Chri s t t he King Lutheran Church , 11295 SW 57 th Avenue, Pinecrest , F l , 33156. Military honors will be provided by the United States Air Force Honor Guard. Donations in his memory can be made to Christ the King Lutheran Church, Pin ecrest, Fl, Faith Lutheran Chu rch, Sebring, Fl , or the chari ty of your choice.