TSgt James “Jim” Lee Marotz, USAF, Retired, passed away on August 11, 2019 at the age of 86. The family will be accepting guests at Cook Walden Forest Oaks Funeral Home, 6300 W. William Cannon Dr., Austin, TX 78749, from 6:00pm-8:00pm on Thursday, August 15, 2019. Graveside services will be held at Cook Walden Forest Oaks Memorial Park at 10:00am on Friday, August 16, 2019, with full military honors. A Celebration of Life will begin at 2:00pm on Friday, August 16, 2019 at Killeen First Church of the Nazarene, 951 Stagecoach Rd. Killeen, TX 76542.
Jim was born on February 6, 1933 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin to Erwin and Edna Lee (Barnhardt) Marotz. Commonly known as Papa Jim and Papaw, Jim was a man who could light up a room. Much of Jim’s life was spent serving our country in the United States Air Force from 1953 until his retirement in 1973. While he loved his country dearly, Jim fell head over heels for Bobbie Sue Bray and married her on May 14, 1955. Together they raised five children, Angela, Barry, Jimmy, Gary, and John. Jim, his wife, and their growing family moved several times, from Puerto Rico to Dayton Ohio, to Amarillo, Texas, to Denver Colorado and finally settled in Austin in 1967.
Following his 20 years’ service in the Air Force, he began working as an appliance repairman for Sears Roebuck until he retired in 1993. After their children were grown, Jim and Sue completed a couple of mission trips to Peru and India and finally moved to Copperas Cove in 1997, where they made a number of very close friends. As Jim’s health failed, they moved to Temple in 2018 so he could receive care at the William R Courtney Texas State Veterans Home. The family is eternally grateful to the amazing staff who lovingly and respectfully cared for him until the day he passed on to heaven.
Jim loved the Lord, his church family, his friends, and his family dearly. He is survived by his beloved wife of 65 years, Bobbie Sue Marotz; daughter, Angela Nash; sons, Barry, Jimmy, Gary, and John Marotz; 12 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
He is preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Donald Marotz, William “Bill” Marotz, and JoAnn Jurk.
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