James Howard, age 86, formerly of Lithonia, passed away in Covington, GA on August 17, 2020. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. James retired from Atlanta Gas Light Company after over 40 years of service. He was a dedicated member of Turner Hill Baptist Church for over 60 years, and taught Sunday School for over 30 years. James was a wonderful example of the Christian man and was always known as a "gentleman". He and his wife, Betty, who preceded him in death, spent 57 very happy years together, and you rarely saw one without the other. James is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law: Rita and Mike Frix, Debbie and Tim Chupp, Lynn and Dave Wilkison, and Lisa and Nicola Gleaton. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren, Amber, April, Jay, Hanna, Marcie, Jeremy, Matthew, Taylor, Savannah and Aiden; one great-granddaughter, Lily, and 7 great-grandsons Colson, Hudson, Reece, Bryson, Brecken, Brooks and Eli; nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to southerngracehospice.com. The service will be private.