James Alan Strickland

Award winning broadcast journalist, Jim Strickland, passed away Monday, December 30, 2024, at his home in Acworth, Georgia. Jim was 65 years old. His impact on his colleagues, friends, family, and the public will continue for the years to come. Jim’s trailblazing consumer investigative reporting at WSB-TV Atlanta led to new regulations and other changes to protect the public.

James Alan Strickland was born on September 29, 1959, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the youngest of five children born to Robert Strickland and Isabelle (MacIntosh) Strickland. After receiving his Journalism degree from Boston University in 1981, Jim began his television news career in Dubuque, Iowa.

In August 1982 Jim married his college sweetheart, Marie Packard. They were blessed with two children, Andrew and Leah, during their 42-year marriage.

Jim had a distinguished career in television news. He was a reporter and co-anchor at WHO-TV 13 News in Des Moines, Iowa for 15 years where he created the market’s first locally produced 5:00 p.m. newscast, winning EMMYs and other awards. Jim created the ground-breaking Dirty Dining series reforming Iowa’s restaurant inspection scoring system and was dubbed “Top Gun” by the Des Moines Register for his helicopter reporting during the floods of 1993.

In 1999, Jim moved to Georgia to create the Consumer Investigative Franchise at WSB-TV where he won nine EMMY’s and the RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award. Jim partnered with ABC national news on multiple investigative series during his career. He retired in 2019 with plans to golf, hike and travel the world.

Those who had the good fortune of working with Jim became better at their craft. He was smart, direct, demanding and focused on accuracy, believing the viewing public should accept nothing less.

In his free time, Jim loved to travel the world with his wife Marie, play golf and play cards. He was fun loving, competitive, and brought a lot of laughter wherever he went.

The family would like to thank their extended family, friends, neighbors, as well as the wonderful staff at Emory University Medical Center, 9-South Oncology, for the support, care, and compassion they showed Jim, Marie, Leah and Andrew during his brief illness.

Jim is survived by his wife, Marie, son, Andrew, daughter, Leah and Leah’s fiancé, Edson Spadoni, as well as his sister Dee, brothers Robert (Kathy), Billy, Brian, sister-in-law Ellen Warecki (Peter), and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents Robert and Isabelle.

A visitation will be held at Winkenhofer Pine Ridge Funeral Home, 2950 Cobb Parkway NW, Kennesaw, GA, on Sunday, January 5, 2025, with the family present from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

A funeral mass will be held at Saint Clare of Assisi Catholic Church, 6301 Cedarcrest Road, Acworth, GA on Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. The Mass can be watch live. https://www.youtube.com/@stclareacworth/streams

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In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Jim’s memory to Saint Clare of Assisi “Paving the Way Capital Campaign” https://www.osvhub.com/stclarecc/giving/funds/paving-the-way-capital-campaign