James Allen Lunsford, Sr. (better known as Hunny, Papa, or Buddy) was born on March 15, 1950 to J.D. and Helen Lunsford. Papa was a one-of-a-kind grandpa, and that can probably be applied to every aspect of his life–one-of-a-kind. He could fix anything you asked him to…or anything you didn't ask him to. Whether it be a computer, a car, or any sort of issue in the house, Papa would be there waiting to lend a hand or fix it all himself.

As a stand-up soldier who served in the USMC on the first Jet Harrier Squadron aboard the USS Independence from 1969 to 1973, everything he did was for the betterment of the people around him. It didn't matter if you were his Hunny, his daughter, his brother or sister, his momma, his Buddy, or a stranger with a flat tire on the side of the road–he wanted to make people's lives better, and he did.

If you gave Papa a task, he'd find a way to make it happen and if that task happened to be a chance to spend time with his kids, all the better for him. One of the best examples of this was when his daughter, Jeannie, decided living next door to him and his Hunny wasn't enough–she wanted to live under the same roof as them. Immediately, Papa went to work adding onto the house right alongside his daughter. She loved her daddy until the very end and I know she was waiting patiently for him.

For nearly 50 years, he ran a business alongside his Buddy, his son, Jamie. This was yet another task that Papa took head-on and I can guarantee that being able to run that business alongside his best friend made it all the more precious to him. Papa's best friend was his son, and his son will say the same about him. Their relationship was the kind that all fathers and sons hope for, and it was one of Papa's most treasured relationships.

Papa was an unconventional grandpa, from chasing Pooh and "all them" around on the golf cart with Jordan and building go-karts for Madison, to playing guitar for Karli and rolling down the hill with Lauren. He was a good man who loved his family and who prided himself on the life he built–one filled with all the love and joy one can hope for. He loved us so much and he loved his Hunny fiercely.

In the 52 years they were married, he and his Hunny never spent more than a few days apart. Their love story was the type that they make movies about–a love story that was full of hope, joy, and dedication. Papa made it a total of 7 months and 17 days without his Hunny on the earth, only to be reunited with her in Heaven–the perfect end to a love story.

James Allen Lunsford, Sr. is preceded in death by his father, J.D. Lunsford; his Hunny, Sandy Lunsford; his precious daughter, Jeannie Reynolds; and his brother and sister-in-law, Johnny and Judy Kay Lunsford.

He leaves behind four granddaughters: Jordan Reynolds, Madison Whiting (husband, Trentt Whiting), Karli Lunsford, and Lauren Reynolds; his mother, Helen Lunsford; his sister, Diane Hebert; his brother, David Lunsford, Sr.; his son-in-law, David Reynolds; numerous nieces and nephews, friends, and other family; five granddogs; and his Buddy, his best friend, Jamie Lunsford Jr.